Comments on: Improved Electrolyte Claimed to Facilitate Vastly Improved Batteries

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:15:00 +0000

“I would say a battery with a 200 mile real-life range and a charging time of 15 minutes would be fairly close to what is needed for mass acceptance. People have to pause anyway for reasons that are biological in nature…”

Totally agree. This is the target, imho. And those quick chargers being nearly ubiquitous, as you write at the beginning.

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:09:00 +0000

“More EV models should offer multiple battery-pack sizes for multiple price points.”

Love that idea! Would love to see that as well. Wonder when they will decide there is a market for that worth testing options on.

By: DavidSnydacker

DavidSnydacker — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 17:03:00 +0000

Ionic liquid electrolytes allow new high-voltage cathode materials to operate more reliably without damaging the cell. New high-voltage/high-capacity cathodes, like the one developed at Argonne National Lab, will help double the energy density of Li-ion batteries. This will make 200 and 300 mile EVs affordable. But ionic liquids are not directly related to charging time.

By: Anne

Anne — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 15:48:00 +0000

I have been harping on about fast charging too. You see a lot of uninformed people around the Internet clamoring for a 300 mile battery, or a 500 mile battery, or even a 1000 mile battery (really!). But even a 1000 mile battery will not take you everywhere you want to go.

The best antidote against range anxiety is ubiquitous fast chargers. I would say that every petrol station along the motorway should have one, just as you can count om them all selling petrol and diesel. That takes the planning out of longer trips. You just hop in and drive and when it’s time to charge, you simply pull into the next petrol station.

At today’s state of EV technology and charging infrastructure you still have to plan longer road trips. This is a killer. I think people can get over short range, but they just won’t accept having to meticulously plan each journey, nor being limited in where they can go in their car.

Well now, about the charge time of ‘seconds’ that the author is talking about. That is really a bit short. Charging a LEAF battery in 20 seconds would take ~4 MW of power. That requires an industrial grade grid connection or a buffer battery in the charging station. Not to mention the thickness of the cable that will have to carry a cool 10 kA.

I would say a battery with a 200 mile real-life range and a charging time of 15 minutes would be fairly close to what is needed for mass acceptance. People have to pause anyway for reasons that are biological in nature…

By: anderlan

anderlan — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:11:00 +0000

Charge time also depends on the power level at the charge “pump”. At the house, most folks aren’t getting 240V or larger chargers, instead going with their house’s wiring, with a dedicate 20A circuit. This is the bottleneck, right now.

You’re right, with more commercial charging stations, quick charging could be a real EV win. But it won’t come right away, so I don’t presently see manufacturers going below 75 miles of energy storage in their vehicle batteries. (Though I wish they would–my commute is 6 miles, and a smaller battery makes a cheaper car! More EV models should offer multiple battery-pack sizes for multiple price points.)

I can’t foresee precisely how it will play out, but it is vital that we find ways to fully exploit new fast-charging and discharging (i.e., power-dense) batteries.