Zeev: "Ray, I think you would want to be in and out of a gas station in about 10 minutes, I
doubt you would charge from a battery (but since you are charging a battery, maybe
you would)."
I think that 15 or 20 min for 80% of capacity is about the fastest charging now practical. Further, most charging stations now being constructed are at shopping malls & such where the EV would be parked at the charging station for longer periods.
As for SMES for improved braking energy capture, why would a super-capacitor not be fully satisfactory? They are already being used for this purpose in hybrid gas-EV's (HVs).
It appears that HVs are going to be the first economically significant "alternative" autos, and it is clear that the prime choice among manufacturers of such is the NiMH battery/supercapacitor design, along with various efficient gasoline or diesel engines. NiMH is also the overwhelming current choice for "long" range pure EVs. Perhaps, someday, LiPoly batteries will become a better choice, but this will likely take some time as EVs require truly large batteries (not just the larger-than-small lap top batteries).
I expect (and hope, as I am long) VLNC to do very well by way of the electronics markets, but LiPoly batteries as the premier choice for power applications is still pretty conjectural, IMO. |
