Posted on 10/23/2011 9:57:17 PM PDT by aquila48
Toyota Motor has developed a secondary electric car battery that can last up to 1,000 km per charge, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Monday. That is five times the energy storage capacity of existing batteries.
Toyota came up with the prototype in collaboration with the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization. The new battery is based on a solid core and its simplified structure means it does not require fire-retardant materials. It eliminates the disadvantages of lithium-ion batteries, which are based on an easily heatable and combustible liquid core.
Toyota plans to improve the battery and commercialize it sometime in...
(Excerpt) Read more at english.chosun.com ...
perhaps you are thinking centimeters
Unfortunately, it’s only 621 miles (1000 km). If this new battery is for a hybrid with a smaller gas engine than the Prius then the government-subsidized Chevy Volt sales are going to get worse. If, however, this battery is for a fully-electric vehicle, it will be a game-changer. Fleet sales may become more viable.
Definitely an improvement, but think of all the other things in your vehicle that would also have to run off that battery and thus reduce the mileage. It is unavoidable to need headlights, heaters, defrosters and windshield wipers while driving. Most drivers would not be too likely to give up air conditioning, the stereo system or power windows (especially if you want to avoid using the air conditioning). Batteries also do not perform well when the temperatures are below freezing or above 100 degrees. That 1000km range might be theoretically possible under ideal conditions like driving in daylight, over flat roads, with no wind and 70 degree temperatures, but in real world conditions could I trust that battery to take me on vacation?
Charge time? How much $ for a full charge? I haven’t seen many comparative reports for electric vehicles and corresponding electric bill increases.
When we're discussing a 40-60K expense after a price decrease, the comparison to a $200 first generation flash drive don't necessarily add up to making this a viable purchase.
I have not seen any in depth analysis as to whether or not our electrical grid in this country can truly sustain a massive fleet of civilian electric vehicles. Seems to me we need to address that first before progress in this arena can be made.
As I see it now, there's no "durable value" in promoting electric vehicles to civilian consumers outside of novelty.
Maybe after the larger issue of energy is thoroughly addressed.
That's still a greater range than typical for current cars. My Camry gets about 450 (+/- 20) miles on a full tank.
In the case of a hybrid/electric quite a bit less.
Yes, but gasoline cars can be refueled in five minutes. I have been known to drive well over 600 miles a day on the way to a vacation spot. I can drive from Columbus to Panama City Beach today in 12 hours with a total of 15 minutes in fuel stops. With a 600 mile electric, I'd have to stop in Montgomery for the night and waste a vacation day...in each direction.
All that heat is wasted energy, reducing the efficiency of the whole process. So a battery that charges with low heat would not only be safer, it would be a lot more efficient.
Found an excellent blog on the effects of cold weather on electric cars. And this is a pro-electric car site.
http://www.thecarelectric.com/content/electric-cars-in-cold-climates.php
They say it is likely that really cold weather, MN/MI/MT type, will cut range by 50% or more. Also cuts power proportionately. Climbing in the mountains will also burn juice like crazy. In cold weather you might have trouble even climbing at a reasonable speed.
The possible consequences of a car running out of juice in extremely cold weather in a remote area might be interesting. In the Chinese sense.
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