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Nanostructured Li-ion Batteries for Electric Cars

Posted by Zonk on from the total-overkill-but-totally-appreciated dept.

schliz writes "Researchers at the Delft University of Technology are developing nanostructured batteries that are expected to deliver more usage between charges, and shorter charge/discharge times, to mobile consumers within the next five years. The batteries will improve electric and hybrid vehicles, researchers say."

1 of 153 comments (clear)

  1. Next best thing since... by Yev000 · · Score: 0, Troll
    Another article about a new battery technology that promises to beat everything currently on the market. When will they realise that unless its charge time is (A) the same as or close to pumping petrol into a container and (B) doesn't loose energy (or close to it) when doing nothing.

    Fuel, whether it's in electrical or chemical form it is still fuel. A car does not become "greener" if it uses electricity. At the moment the likelihood that the electricity was produced by environmentally friendly means (IE not oil, not dams which destroy vast eco systems, not wind farms which kill birds) are very slim.

    Currently the most efficient way to store and transfer energy for vehicles is chemical fuel of some sort that can be used in an internal combustion engine. There are diesel cars that get more MPG than hybrid cars. So why are we jumping on electricity when it is more expensive to produce (it would be cheaper for a power plant to produce hydrogen and deliver it to a petrol station than deliver the same electricity to your car) and carries with it a longer charge time (not to mention all the idle time discharging issues and being totally unusable below -15C). Then there's the issue of all the new infrastructure that needs to be put in for electric cars.

    By all means develop better batteries, but please don't advertise them as replacement for liquid combustible fuel.