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Developing Battery Replacement Infrastructure For Electric Cars
FathomIT sends in a NY Times profile of Shai Agassi, owner of a company named Better Place, who is working to build the infrastructure to support large numbers of small-scale charging spots for electric cars, as well as fast, automated battery swap stations.
"The robot — a squat platform that moves on four dinner-plate-size white wheels — scuttled back and forth along a 20-foot-long set of metal rails. At one end of the rails, a huge blue battery, the size of a large suitcase, sat suspended in a frame. As we watched, the robot zipped up to the battery, made a nearly inaudible click, and pulled the battery downward. It ferried the battery over to the other end of the rails, dropped it off, picked up a new battery, hissed back over to the frame and, in one deft movement, snapped the new battery in the place of the old one. The total time: 45 seconds."
Toyota has reported replacing none of its hybrid batteries in the 8 years that hybrids have been sold in North America (due to wear and tear). In other words, the rumor you heard is just that -- a baseless rumor.
The myth of poor battery reliability in hybrids is not bourne out by the real-world experience of hybrid taxis around the world. Specifically, the fact taxis have travelled 240,000 or even 300,000 miles with no major problems with the batteries or any other component of the hybrid system.
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
Does anyone know if battery testing technology is sufficiently advanced for this to be feasible?
Shouldn't be too hard. Apply a voltmeter and then draw a heavy current on a separate circuit over a set time. That should a reasonable indication of the basic quality of the battery. Same way you test a car battery now. Apply voltmeter, crank motor. If the voltage drops fast, the battery is toast.
sudo mount --milk --sugar