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The Replacement For the Battery?

Posted by kdawson on from the charge-it dept.

jackd writes "Great article in Technology Review, bordering on 'too good to be true,' about a small company in Texas that is developing the replacement for the electrochemical battery. The device is a kind of hybrid battery-ultracapacitor based on barium-titanate powders. Quoting: 'The company boldly claims that its system... will dramatically outperform the best lithium-ion batteries on the market in terms of energy density, price, charge time, and safety... The implications are enormous and, for many, unbelievable. Such a breakthrough has the potential to radically transform a transportation sector already flirting with an electric renaissance.'"

3 of 318 comments (clear)

  1. Fantastic! Until... by fragreaper · · Score: 0, Troll

    Mr Shell comes along, buys the company and disbands the project and says "nothing to see here.. move along..."

    1. Re:Fantastic! Until... by joe_cot · · Score: 0, Troll

      Actually, no, what I have written is crazy. I forgot to take into account that these are the same people that suppressed the 400 mile to the gallon carburettor and had the guy killed that invented the car that only runs on water.

      Rubbish. Every year or so, some inventor comes up with an engine that runs on water, and it turns out to make about as much sense as the free energy machines of the 30s. All these snake oil inventions ever do is appease some of those who have concerns with our future energy strategies into believing technology will solve everything. The closest we have is fuel cell technology, which takes stored hydrogen and oxygen, and combines it into water (which is a method of storing the energy, not a cheap way of creating it) Water itself is not a viable energy source, no matter how you slice it. People just need to give up and face the facts: besides nuclear power, we will never again have a form of creating energy that's cheaper than pumping some liquid out of the ground and burning it.

  2. Re:Why are they even trying to do cars? by drgonzo59 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Exactly! That is what I thought of. Most of the meaningful research doesn't come out of nowhere like some no-name startup from the Texas desert. It usually comes gradually from years of peer reviewed research. So on one hand we have thousands of officially recognized experts working on the energy storage problem for years on the other hand we have some unknown start-up from Texas that claims a 10x improvement on battery technology...hmm..let's see who do we believe...?

    This is a typical money making scheme designed for the not so technologically proficient investors _but_ who think they are very smart and finally found the next Microsoft , Intel or Google. Basically people with lots of money and not enough brains when it comes to science.

    The company waits for the President's speech, the President, as predicted, mentions a 20% reduction in gas consumption. The no-name company from TX announces they they have just the solution for the 20% and more reduction in gas consumption! -- Anyone surprised!?

    They rake in investments, then liquidate the company and buy a small island in the Bahamas. Except for the idiots who invested in the company, everyone will forget about this just like they forget about the "free energy breakthroughs" that come in every 3 or 4 years.