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Researchers Create Sodium Battery In Industry Standard "18650" Format (gizmag.com)

Zothecula sends word that a French team has developed a battery using sodium ions in the usual "18650" format. Gizmag reports: "A team of researchers in France has taken a major step towards powering our devices with rechargeable batteries based on an element that is far more abundant and cheaper than lithium. For the first time ever, a battery has been developed using sodium ions in the industry standard "18650" format used in laptop batteries, LED flashlights and the Tesla Model S, among other products."

209 comments

  1. fwoist? by Thud457 · · Score: 0

    this idea STINKS

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    1. Re:fwoist? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      this joke is not funny and you should feel bad.

    2. Re:fwoist? by dl_sledding · · Score: 1

      "Thud" indeed...

  2. Heh. Tesla Model S by TWX · · Score: 1

    Pardon me if I use the name-dropping to think lesser of the company that has made the announcement.

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  3. Sakura Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It seems like we're getting announcements about revolutionary world changing never seen before astounding new battery designs every day, but nothing ever comes to market.

    Maybe it's time to question what the fuck is wrong with the shitty "journalism" that tries and make huge stories out of nothing.

    1. Re:Sakura Battery by ganjadude · · Score: 2

      I dont think its fair to say nothing has come to market, there have been many advances in just the past 10 years

      --
      have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
    2. Re:Sakura Battery by ArylAkamov · · Score: 1

      Maybe it's time to question what the fuck is wrong with the shitty "journalism" that tries and make huge stories out of nothing.

      Did you click the link?

      If you did, they got what they wanted.

    3. Re:Sakura Battery by shaitand · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Have you considered it might be time to ask what the fuck is wrong with the fossil fuel giants who buy up any breakthrough energy related technology and vanish it.

    4. Re:Sakura Battery by Coren22 · · Score: 4, Funny

      I Googled 18650, does that count?

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    5. Re: Sakura Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, like Tesla keeping their billion dollar investment in battery production to sub-par technology on purpose, because, conspiracy.

    6. Re: Sakura Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I weep a little extra for the world when even a presumably technically literate audience like Slashdot don't understand and appreciate basic science and scientific progress but immediately starts the consumer chant 'I want to buy it now or it has no value'.

    7. Re:Sakura Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must not have been in the battery market in the last 20 years.

    8. Re:Sakura Battery by SimonInOz · · Score: 1

      If a company buys a startup, there are two possible reasons.

      It wants to sit on the startup and hang on to the current business model.
      Or
      It's looking for a new business model.

      Might we hope for the latter option?

      --
      "Cats like plain crisps"
    9. Re:Sakura Battery by Orphis · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The first link in the article is pointing to the CNRS news website, which is part of the organization that made the research, that's a fair one.
      The second link paraphrasing the first one doesn't add value though...

    10. Re:Sakura Battery by Rei · · Score: 5, Funny

      My father has had various top executive roles in oil companies for the past two decades. We often crack jokes with each other about this sort of stuff. "Gee, dad, how was work - suppress any new revolutionary clean energy technologies today?" "Only two... and you know we've only managed to buy off twelve congressmen this month - total? *Sigh*, the business just isn't what it used to be..." "Oh, sorry to hear that dad... maybe you should start a new war, that always works." "Yeah, I'll bring it up at the next Illuminati meeting..." ;)

      --
      I hate to bring up our imminent arrest during your crazy time, but we gotta move.
    11. Re: Sakura Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >a presumably technically literate audience like Slashdot

      You've been away for several years, haven't you? Nerdy, yes. Reactionary, sometimes. Technically literate, rarely.

    12. Re:Sakura Battery by Beck_Neard · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Battery factories are huge and expensive. We're talking billions of dollars. I wish I was kidding. An idea could have the potential to be way better and cheaper than Li-ion but still never make it to market because no one wants to be the first to take such a huge risk. That's why in the past several years plenty of incremental improvements to Li-ion have made it to market, but there haven't been any revolutionary new technologies.

      That said, if a technology proved clearly superior to Li-ion then people would seriously consider investing in it, but most 'battery breakthroughs' still fall short of Li-ion in some ways. For example, they may not have the same longevity, capacity, or safety factor.

      Actually, that's the case here. Sodium batteries have *less* energy capacity than Li-ion, and the expected lifetimes are similar. It's just that they have the potential to be cheaper. But they're never going to be cheaper if no one builds a big factory to make them.

      --
      A fool and his hard drive are soon parted.
    13. Re:Sakura Battery by Dereck1701 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      While I have no doubt that some of the current heavyweights in the energy market like to buy up and sit on some companies with promising developments I highly doubt that they can keep major advances held down too long. The article notes that lithium-ion batteries were developed in Europe but never commercialized (patents? NIMBYs? Lack of production capacity?), then Asia got a hold of the technology and it exploded onto the market. You may be able to control minor advances in a few markets where corrupt government officials are willing to play ball with you but major advances are going to find a market somewhere no matter what, and those places are more likely to locations where governments haven't wrapped everything up in 12 layers of red tape (patents, copyright, OSHA, etc).

    14. Re:Sakura Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Take a step back and look at the changes that have happened over the last 10-20 years. More advancement in every field than at any period in history. Maybe you're just a kid who hasn't lived any life, but I remember a time when telephones were mounted to the wall in the kitchen or den or office. People smoked in the work place including hospitals. Cell phones didn't exist, let alone pagers. Then there was a time if you had a pager, you were a Doctor (not a drug dealer because the tech was still out of their reach too).

      I remember when TVs were essentially furniture in the room? My dad remembers listening to the radio, then getting a B&W TV, then finally color.

      You're a victim of the "need/want it now generation". Things change, more so and faster today than at any point in history and it will only continue to go faster and faster. Look at tech in the cars we drive. Nearly everyone enjoys driving around in a car that is less than 20 years old. Once electric only and then self driving cars start to become common place, you'll rarely see and old gas guzzler on the road. Watch for the electric only switch over to happen in the next 2 decades and self-driving cars to happen within the next 3-4 decades. But at the rate of increase of adoption of new tech both of those will most likely happen sooner.

    15. Re:Sakura Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And what is you point?
      Yep, the world is changing, all hail the unstoppable progress!

      But why isn't this happening with batteries? The new research turns up interesting things, but it's always either more expensive, incredibly slow to charge/discharge, or lacking in density.
      Is Li-ion really what we're going to be stuck with while the rest of the world's technologies moves on? Because that's pretty sad.

    16. Re: Sakura Battery by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Pfft... We're proud of the fact that we're not even regularly literate.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    17. Re:Sakura Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you seriously just say cell phones didn't exist in 1995? You know the first commercial cell network came out in 1979?

    18. Re:Sakura Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wait til the skinny hipster finds out about 1930s radio telephones in cars!

    19. Re:Sakura Battery by dbIII · · Score: 2

      In the late 1990s a famous artist brought his "revolutionary fuel saving" device to the university mechanical engineering department I worked at for independent testing. It turns out he was tuning for idling. So his car engine used very little fuel while sitting at the lights doing nothing and produced crap performance and crap fuel economy while actually moving the vehicle. There was a lot of that going on.
      However there have been a small number of real advances from non-experts, I think it was sometime in the 1950s that somebody thought of running a fuel pump in the opposite direction to the normal gravity fed tradition and it made a difference. Normally it's someone who improves one thing and doesn't understand that it doesn't help the entire system at all.

      A classic that wasn't actually from the layman was the all-ceramic engine. The idea was that you could run it really hot and get more out if the fuel. Fantastic performance on a testbed, but the extra mass of the more involved cooling meant that one you tried to move it around it performed worse than what it was supposed to replace. Whoops. They only thought of a part and not the implications to how it was actually going to be used, just like that artist who was paranoid about his "invention" being suppressed.

    20. Re: Sakura Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In general computer professionals are deeply unlearned once you get outside bit slopping.

      Anyway, a sodium ion battery doesn't seem that far fetched especially if they are working off lithium the iron phosphate designs because that gives you a battery with no rare materials..

    21. Re:Sakura Battery by mwvdlee · · Score: 2

      What happened to the all-ceramic engine? Not all engines have to move themselves, some just move other things while staying in place. (though not many I can think of right now).

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    22. Re:Sakura Battery by yes-but-no · · Score: 1

      What's wrong in protecting one's own business interest? in protecting one's current and future revenue stream? This is the way the system is setup. The rules of the game. May be you can provide better rules [like say more transparency of capital flows, who is owning what and where they are directing their capital]; when someone is playing by the rules, you can't ask/beg them to change it [because you feel it's better for the world in large]

    23. Re:Sakura Battery by yes-but-no · · Score: 1

      True; the oil giants were asleep at job. They should've plugged all holes [given they were at top - super power] .. so no enemy can raise its head to challenge their number one position. Just make all the 7 billion follow some standard rules and ensure those rules don't allow a competitor to grow out of its infancy. job done.

    24. Re:Sakura Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...then Asia got a hold of the technology and it exploded.

      And quite literally!

    25. Re:Sakura Battery by Barsteward · · Score: 1

      So you expect proof of concept inventions to be on the market immediately?

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    26. Re:Sakura Battery by dbIII · · Score: 2

      Mercedes built one - it worked, for a carefully crafted single prototype. One underlying problem is the cost of machining to tolerances tight enough to use as an engine was very high. Another is that although "tough" ceramics are used the size of acceptable flaws is very low or the components crack - so quality control and a large number of rejects becomes an issue. It looked like around a million dollars per engine would be the cost if mass produced.
      The commercial outcome was ceramic cylinder liners for some truck engines. The entire point, apart from a stupid boast of it being all ceramic, is to run at higher temperatures so the cylinder liners accomplished some of that without being a brittle all ceramic engine made out of a great big insulator. Little bits of insulator do the job just as well inside a nice big conductive metal block where it's easy to cast or forge water channels.

      I've put "tough" in quotes because it's relative to other ceramics and not to a typical alloy used in engine parts. With ceramics you can't get away with a dent.

    27. Re:Sakura Battery by RuffMasterD · · Score: 1

      Generators are the biggest users of stationary engines I can think of, and they are used most often in poor countries where the fuel savings would make a real difference. It doesn't really matter how much they weigh once they reach a customers site.

      --
      Human Rights, Article 12: Freedom from Interference with Privacy, Family, Home and Correspondence
    28. Re: Sakura Battery by Joce640k · · Score: 3, Informative

      Except...this time it's true. The Gasoline car manufacturers _really do_ own the patents for making large automotive batteries. That's why Tesla has to make do with using several thousand tiny 18650s instead of a few big cells.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      --
      No sig today...
    29. Re:Sakura Battery by orasio · · Score: 1

      This is exactly what you were waiting for.
      There are lots of awesome battery ideas out there. Prototyping the battery in the 18650 format means that it can work as a drop-in replacement for lithium batteries.

      To the crowd that wants product, not science, this is a big thing. A new battery technology is ready at last, and can be used to replace what we have. They will surely need need a fab process, and money (probably the reason for the press release), but the technology itself is ready at this point.

    30. Re:Sakura Battery by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      How to Succeed in Journalism: Write hundreds of shitty articles about things that will probably not happen (revolutionary new tech, financial disasters, potential industrial accidents etc.) and when one of them eventually does claim to be a visionary genius who got the story first by recognizing its brilliance.

      Do it enough and eventually you will get to work for a content mill or crystal ball gazers like Gartner.

      --
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    31. Re: Sakura Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tesla is using lithium ion, not NiMH.

    32. Re: Sakura Battery by rch7 · · Score: 1

      NiMh large format battery patents have nothing to do with LiOn. And frankly, they were not used because they were not usable, NiMh energy density is way too low for long distance cars, not because of some conspiracies. Alternative NiMh technologies that do not use these patents are available too and are used in hybrids.

    33. Re:Sakura Battery by shaitand · · Score: 1

      Existing energy companies can and do buy up almost any emerging energy startup with a real product. It isn't even a secret, their justification is that oil won't last forever and they want to be the ones who own whatever comes next. Like any and all corporations they exist to make profit and anything which would result in a model that would reduce their profit isn't pursued further. There are no shortage of companies who have bought other companies primarily to take them out of the game and energy companies are not the pure and sacred exception.

      There are definitely some crazy crackpots out there. If a few years ago you would have called someone talking about the us government having a network of foreign torture prison camps to bypass due process, a massive warrantless internet spying infrastructure with backdoors in all common encryption technologies in collusion with every major network carrier, a secret court to grant automatic permission for any action the government wishes with no authority to demand accounting for any of it, and that the response to the outrage of it being uncovered would be to shut people up with an unconstitutional bill from congress that claims to stop the illegal warrantless spying while actually authorizing it to continue a crackpot or conspiracy theorist... maybe you should take your gullibility points and learn from history already rather than repeating it yet again.

      This kind of thing is essentially the same thing the defense does to a rape victim at trial. Anything you can do to disparage their character. If you can get people laughing at them all the better. By discrediting the source you make people forget that all forms of argument which utilize the merit of the source are fallacy because an argument is valid or invalid on it's own merits independent of any supposed authority of the one making it.

      Take anyone who tries to dismiss someone by saying or implying that they are a crackpot or conspiracy theorist with a major grain of salt. They may or may not be a sock puppet but either way the merit of the claim stands or falls on its own.

    34. Re:Sakura Battery by shaitand · · Score: 1

      That is interesting but is a different conversation. Note how quickly you jumped to random crackpot related material or conspiracy material. And this after the mass government warrantless NSA spying cover-up was unveiled.

      The claim was that energy companies buy up emerging energy technology startups. Startups like university researchers who bred algae that turns sunlight and nutrients in a tank directly into gasoline, diesel fuel, and other hydrocarbons. These aren't laymen in their garage trying to build the next unity engine.

      How plausible is it? Well they are corporations, first and foremost in all things they do is the fundamental profit motivation. Literally no action a corporation takes is for any purpose but saving or making maximum profit. Is it profitable to eliminate competing technologies? Yes, yes it is. Is it profitable to buy any technology that might be the next step after oil runs out? Yes again. Is it profitable to get utilize existing infrastructure and inventory (oil) for as long as possible before moving to something new? Yup. In other words, if energy companies are NOT doing this they are at risk of being sued by their shareholders.

      Is the juice worth the squeeze? There is no squeeze, the energy lobby is massive and would never allow something so profitable for them to be illegal. Which is why not only is this not crackpot conspiracy theory, it isn't even a secret or a theory but an easily verified fact. Energy companies will spin this as them planning for the future rather than trying to block technologies that would bottom out their market.

      You can be sure of one thing though, they certainly would buy technology that carries a risk of doing so and leave that one on the shelf. That is self preservation and doing otherwise would almost certainly result in shareholders suing the board.

    35. Re: Sakura Battery by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Uhm. Humm. Have you wondered why Tesla has the ability to do a supercharger and not ruin their batteries? Or why their batteries will outlast others? Or why they have such amazing performance? It is because they choose to go with small batteries. It was not forced on them. They wanted high parallelism in the batteries.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    36. Re:Sakura Battery by shaitand · · Score: 1

      As part of the world at large I'd beg to differ. There are a hell of a lot more of me.

      This is like an argument that the top .001% by wealth having their wealth redistributed would be the greatest of all evils... despite having a dramatic positive impact on 99.999% of the population and the negative impact for the tiny few is only that they'd have to get a real job like everyone else.

      If you live in a town of 100,000 people and that new traffic light is a benefit to everyone but you the 0.001%er do you really think they shouldn't build the light? Why exactly is it that suddenly this all falls apart if your interest is business? Oh right, because you can bribe the people who are supposed to be representing the other 99,999 people.

    37. Re:Sakura Battery by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      Literally no action a corporation takes is for any purpose but saving or making maximum profit.

      Many corporations, especially small ones, are created to protect the owners from (often frivolous) lawsuits.

      There are also charity corporations.

      Corporations are run by people, and many of those people have motives other than maximizing profit -- the profit is there to make possible the development of their dream.

      --
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    38. Re:Sakura Battery by shaitand · · Score: 1

      "Many corporations, especially small ones, are created to protect the owners from (often frivolous) lawsuits.

      There are also charity corporations."

      Small businesses are made for the same reason as large businesses. Protecting yourself from liability from your actions is a way to make money by saving money. You might collect profits all year long as plumber and then fold rather than pay the bill out of your profits when you destroy someone's home by flooding the basement. You've just increased your bottom line for the year dramatically at the expense of everyone elses home owners insurance. Similarly movie studios create a corporation for every movie, they loan it money (with first right to collect) to make the film and get all the services they can on credit with name recognitition. Afterward if the movie flops they collapse the corporation and claim first right to all proceeds as creditors. If the movie doesn't flop they burn people on royalties by taking heavy interest on the required loan payments before determining if any are to be paid. Liability protection is one form of profiting the other major one is tax avoidance. Businesses get to deduct all their expenses while individuals do not.

      That I don't think anyone was at risk of confusing my comments regarding publically traded corporations with small businesses or non-profit corporations or charitable non-profit corporations.

      For profit businesses are vehicles for making money. When there is a single or small group of owners who don't have to answer to investors such an entity might be "run by people" but outside of that such an entity is run by employees, who do their jobs, and other employees whose jobs are to make sure they do their jobs. Those employees are accountable to passive investors who buy their interest in order to get a return on investment and have little concern for how it is gotten and the right to sue those employees at the board and executive levels if they are acting in a manner counter to their job which is to bring investors a return.

    39. Re:Sakura Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not only that, but they're heavier and in some applications that matters a *lot*.

    40. Re:Sakura Battery by yes-but-no · · Score: 1
      You know and we all know, re-distribution of wealth through force is not going to happen; what can happen is.. you can set up some system wide policies/rules. e.g. make it public, wealth/income records of the top 0.0001%. make it public their contribution to social programs. This is a way to shame folks who hoard too much of wealth. Only more transparency can shame a person that he is not playing fair -- whereever he/she goes (public programs), he starts feeling the dirty looks people give him and he is bound to share his wealth.

      So asking an industry to not engage in certain acts xyz, is not going to work. You can make the act illegal. e.g. like anti-trust, get laws say Impeding-Innovation (II) [something which will benefit the vast majority of population]. Then prove/draw-to-court that an industry/company willfully engaged in II violation.

      As you said, bribe exists. And of course you should build newer rules to counter it. It's an never ending war -- arms race; as power accumulates, you put in place checks-n-balances to counter it.. build some kind of negative-feedback loops so there is no runway polarization. Currently there is no better alternative to democracy; so need to work within it.

    41. Re:Sakura Battery by shaitand · · Score: 1

      "Currently there is no better alternative to democracy; so need to work within it."

      When something is in the interest of 4-5 9's of the population, is easily accomplished, and isn't being done you don't have democracy. Period.

      It might be one person one vote but the people who control the impact of that vote and the education/information of those casting it are ruling this country not the people.

      Remember when Bernie Sanders won the democratic debate and CNN pulled the results and posted bogus results favoring Hillary Clinton? This shit can change, easily, there are 10000-100000 of us ants for every one of them gras... no actually still just other ants. The problem is they've neatly divided the people educated enough to understand the problem and the people with the stomach to bleed and die to stop such tyranny and convinced them it's more important for them to scream red faced about whether or not there should be a nativity scene on the courthouse lawn.

      They've also utilized the same psychological attacks they feared from science fiction after world war 2, the spreading of the idea that a third world war could not be won. The idea that it is somehow impossible to defeat people who actively working to the benefit of .001% of the population and against 99.999% of the population but at least 99% of the population thinks it is an unwinnable fight. Class warfare is actually pretty trivial to win when virtually everyone is of the same class.

    42. Re:Sakura Battery by dbIII · · Score: 1
      Plausible? Well sometimes it happens, sometimes even for very benign reasons (eg. the Shell Oil alternative energy stuff) but the competence and focus required for it to happen on the massive conspiracy level is not there. Mostly getting something new into production is a hell of a lot more work than a promising prototype.

      You can be sure of one thing though, they certainly would buy technology that carries a risk of doing so and leave that one on the shelf.

      That requires noticing the technology and understanding it's implications. Also they have limited influence globally - political donors could get solar manufacturing killed off in the USA but that just resulted in the Chinese making a fortune from selling US developed technology to US citizens. The third thing, which I think you dealt with above, is only the sort of oil company run by creationists (yes, selling fossil fuels - weird isn't it) would turn up their nose at making money out of something else. A company near me that started off with coal and natural gas power generation is now making a killing with their windmills. As seen with the extreme of Enron, they are not really in the oil business, they are in the money business and if they can get plenty of money another way they will do it.

    43. Re:Sakura Battery by yes-but-no · · Score: 1
      It's not really clear if democracy is not working. The standard of living of vast majority of people has gone thru' the roof in the last say 30/50 years. 1%-99% does not in itself a problem. It's just numbers and a 1%-er does not have a million mouths to consume; he too has only 5 sensory inputs and can't push in more inputs/impules [also he too has to lie dead (sleep) for 1/3rd of the time]. Things are good because we let innovation/technology to move at good speed -- harnessing nature (laws of physics) to aid in man's comfortable living.

      If we accept each human is equal, one-vote, one-person has to be accepted. Hence democracy is the solution. Now what's the problem -- I think in US, with just two parties (democrats/republicans), its easier for the 1P (1%-ers/powers-at-top/top-wealth-holders) to buy both the candidates. There should be ways for a 3rd party to rise quickly ..ie before the 1P recognizes the new threat and buy them off too.

      Information flow/distribution is the key. If a society allows this easily, the grip of 1P gets weaked. [state controlled media (like in North Korea), or 1P controlled media like CNN..who knows even GOOG/FB .. work for 1P and not the 99P (the other 99%)]. Now Internet can make a huge difference as Truth/Information can flow/spread much more easily. Just like why we don't see snake-oil salesmen today [but were present say 200 years ago], people can see thru' a lie -- when things are not working for the 99P but only for 1P.

      As I see it, as long as science/technology/innovation is being allowed to expand and information is freely flowing, a society will thrive. When we go opposite [like in dark-ages or how it's happening now with ISIS], the group is kinda doomed [atleast temporarily...like few decades/centuries]

      Greed is a great motivator (probably next only to Fear in selfishness-driven motives); so polarization of wealth may not be such a big deal after all.. Just watch/ensure if people (99P) are having a good time/standard of living..that's it. [if someone takes to alcohol/drugs n sit before the large LCD/LED screen.. hmm..it's his/her choice..society can make available information that they can find that/better happiness in something else too if they try.. v hard]

    44. Re:Sakura Battery by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

      they are used most often in poor countries

      You've not done much work in remote locations, have you? Building sites, work sites 50 miles from a road, that sort of thing? There are a lot more generators out there than you seem to think.

      Not in the middle of major cities, I'll grant you. Not so many there. But still enough.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
    45. Re: Sakura Battery by WolfWithoutAClause · · Score: 1

      Not so much. Mainly, Teslas can charge fast, just because they have an enormous battery; so it can handle proportionately more power, and it turns out that having a big (heavy) battery doesn't affect the energy efficiency that much, so they can get lots of range as well.

      Main downside: $$$$

      That's also why Teslas accelerate so fast: the battery can output proportionately more power and Tesla can fit huge motors. If you put the same motor in a Nissan Leaf, the battery would explode- it can't safely supply the juice.

      Of course the bigger battery makes the car heavier, which slows it down a bit, but adding battery is still a net win.

      Cooling is also important, and smaller batteries DO help, but a lot of it is just having the massive battery pack.

      --

      -WolfWithoutAClause

      "Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"
    46. Re: Sakura Battery by Agripa · · Score: 1

      That is odd then when Toyota RAV4 EV with a 95 mile range successfully used these batteries until the patents were enforced against them by Chevron-Texaco. The second generation with lithium-ion batteries had a 103 mile range. Is a difference of 8 miles in range and 15 years in time enough to distinguish usable from unusable? If lithium batteries are the only feasible option, then where were they in 1997?

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      And that range was on a heavier and 15 year earlier 4-door SUV instead of a 2-door roadster.

      The alternative NiMH batteries both came later and may still fall under the last of the Chevron-Texaco patents which do not finish expiring until 2020.

    47. Re:Sakura Battery by shaitand · · Score: 1

      "It's not really clear if democracy is not working."

      A working government != democracy. Democracy is rule by the people, if the people aren't ruling, it isn't democracy. Whether whatever form of government you do have is successful or not is another issue.

      "Things are good because we let innovation/technology to move at good speed -- harnessing nature (laws of physics) to aid in man's comfortable living. "

      Imagine how much better they would be if 60+% of those benefits weren't going to 0.001% of the population.

      "I think in US, with just two parties (democrats/republicans), its easier for the 1P (1%-ers/powers-at-top/top-wealth-holders) to buy both the candidates"

      In a true democracy there are no candidates. There are candidates aka representatives in a republic. Technology has progressed to the point where we no longer need representatives or parties. I don't think you and I are really disagreeing overall here.

      "Just like why we don't see snake-oil salesmen today [but were present say 200 years ago], people can see thru' a lie"

      Ah but you do see snake-oil salesmen today. That is what either party is, that is what CNN and Fox News are. That is what the ab blaster is. People can't see through a lie, people are idiots. After Hillary Clinton stood up and made not one single promise or commitment in the democratic debate CNN immediately started calling her "presidential" and most of the idiots in the country immediately jumped back on her bandwagon. Now morons everywhere keep repeating their favorite buzzword "presidential" not one real person walked away thinking she seemed "presidential" except in the sense she promised to do nothing or take no controversial action.

      "Greed is a great motivator (probably next only to Fear in selfishness-driven motives); so polarization of wealth may not be such a big deal after all.. Just watch/ensure if people (99P) are having a good time/standard of living..that's it. [if someone takes to alcohol/drugs n sit before the large LCD/LED screen.. hmm..it's his/her choice..society can make available information that they can find that/better happiness in something else too if they try.. v hard]"

      Here is why it's a huge problem. If you live in the western world, that 99.999% with all the wealth, they are global. They are working furiously to automate away the high paying information based jobs that keep westerners staring at LCD screens. In another hundred years all their profits will come from india/asia and the United States, rather than being the wealthy nation profiting from their investments in india/asia and sitting secure will instead be the unemployed detroit of the world, a once prosperous city that is now nothing more than a slum that has out served it's usefulness with the wealthy tycoons moved on. When the time comes for ASIA to be the new industrious world of producers and consumers the United States and it's people need to hold the purse strings and be the 1%ers they complain about, not merely the 0.001% who currently hold ours.

    48. Re: Sakura Battery by rch7 · · Score: 1

      Quote from the same wikipedia article "top speed of 78 miles per hour", "0-60 time of around 18 seconds". The EPA range measuring was different at that time, but 95 miles do not make usable vehicle for most people (whatever nonsense fans say about average being the same as maximum required). Sure it is enough for few enthusiasts, but you can't sell millions of cars per year to enthusiasts only.

      Yes, second generation RAV4 EV is not that much better. 100 miles range doesn't make usable mass-market vehicle again, and you can't increase it much as you already have 840 lb battery just for 100 miles that costs a fortune. It is mostly compliance car so far. However, Lithium batteries still have big room for improvement, and are going to be better in few years. Lithium batteries were mostly experimental technology in 1997.

    49. Re: Sakura Battery by Agripa · · Score: 1

      Quote from the same wikipedia article "top speed of 78 miles per hour", "0-60 time of around 18 seconds". The EPA range measuring was different at that time, but 95 miles do not make usable vehicle for most people (whatever nonsense fans say about average being the same as maximum required). Sure it is enough for few enthusiasts, but you can't sell millions of cars per year to enthusiasts only.

      This was back when the 300 mile range of the Tesla was unavailable and they did not discontinue selling them because of the range; they were discontinued because they could neither sell them in the US anymore or even maintain them without the large format battery cells. If they were no competition, then why would the oil companies deliberately make the batteries unavailable by buying the patents?

      However, Lithium batteries still have big room for improvement, and are going to be better in few years. Lithium batteries were mostly experimental technology in 1997.

      Back then, NiMH cells had lots of room for improvement and one of those improvements was the use of large format battery cells which is what the patents were used to stop.

  4. A Salt and Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Don't believe the Li!

  5. but will it fire below .1 safely? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but will it fire below .1 safely?

  6. So, just out of curiosity - by Bookwyrm · · Score: 5, Funny

    Using sodium ions?

    So, they would be (re)charged with "a salt in battery"?

  7. Far more abundant than lithium? by Rei · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yeay! Because you know that $7-8/kg for lithium carbonate was really breaking the bank.

    --
    I hate to bring up our imminent arrest during your crazy time, but we gotta move.
    1. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Because if everyone on the planet starts using batteries to store energy in their cars and at home, there won't be enough lithium and the price will go way above $8/kg?

      I dunno.

    2. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by mspohr · · Score: 4, Informative

      Lithium is about as abundant as chlorine. Concentrated deposits occur all over the world with proven reserves of about 14 million tonnes and annual production of 36,000 tonnes. It would be really hard to run out (or create scarcity) of lithium.

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
    3. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 3, Insightful

      But if Sodium is less damaging for the environment, is easier to process to make batteries and is cheaper as a result, it means cheaper electric cars and cheaper energy storage at home.

      $5000 electric cars, maybe?

    4. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by mspohr · · Score: 2

      Lithium is cheap ($7/kg). A 18650 cell has only 0.6 gm lithium... not a major cost.

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
    5. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The cost of raw materials tends to drop as the demand rises. This sounds counter intuitive but what happens is that technological advances in finding and extracting raw material generate price drops. Think shale oil.
      In theory the Earth is a finite resource, in practice human ingenuity overcomes scarceness.

    6. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by barc0001 · · Score: 1

      14 million tonnes of proven reserves - 36,000 tonnes per year used. That's not as much as you think it is. The reserves are all of the lithium both easy to get at and refine and not so easy. Then there is our usage. 36Ktons today. What happens if electric cars really take off and in 5 years we're using 360K tons per year? That means we'll have 40 years of lithium at that rate of use. And that assumes "only" a 10 fold increase in use from electric cars taking off and making up 20% of the market. What happens if e-cars are 50% of sales in 10 years? And those Tesla Powerwalls get traction and knockoffs do as well? We could be out of lithium in 20 years or less.

    7. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      The cost of raw materials tends to drop as the demand rises. This sounds counter intuitive but what happens is that technological advances in finding and extracting raw material generate price drops. Think shale oil.
      In theory the Earth is a finite resource, in practice human ingenuity overcomes scarceness.

      That's like saying, "I didn't die between 9am and 11am this morning, so I have overcome death!"

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    8. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lithium is found in low concentrations, but it is the 25th most common element. Many deposits of lithium are too small or low grade to be commercially viable, but it's not a "rare earth".

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium#/media/File:Elemental_abundances.svg

    9. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Insightful

      $5000 electric cars, maybe?

      Unlikely. Lithium is only a small fraction of the cost of lithium batteries, so switching to sodium won't save much, and sodium is much heavier and has lower power density (by mass or volume). A sodium battery may make sense for static applications where neither weight nor power density matter, but electric car batteries will continue to be based on lithium.

    10. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by gnupun · · Score: 1

      Yeay! Because you know that $7-8/kg for lithium carbonate was really breaking the bank.

      So what you're saying is the $10,000 Tesla model S battery is a giant ripoff?

    11. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      OMFG!!

      Peak Lithium!

      Beware!!

      dude.....

    12. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lithium is also a rare earth, and you know how environmentally neutral it is to mine rare earths... Strip mining never hurt anything. Granted it can also be retrieved and is currently retrieved from brine pools apparently, lets hope they aren't evaporating that water off, because desalinization methods aren't exactly environmentally friendly either. And apparently demand is growing 25% faster than production is, so prices are expected to go up, up, up unless somebody can figure out a better way to extract it.

      And also where the hell did you get your numbers for cost? I found $9.50/0.1kg or $95/kg if buying bulk, and in smaller amounts it's $270/kg. I'm sorry, but your rate is an order of magnitude off of what the bulk rates I could find were.

      Lithium is not a rare earth, it is an alkali metal.
      Rare earths is the common name for the lanthanide elements.

      The batteries we are talking about are lithium-ion batteries. Li-ion batteries are the rechargeable batteries that are found everywhere.
      Lithium Hydroxide or Lithium Carbonate is used for making batteries and prices run around a few thousand dollars a ton, or about 2-3 times cost of bottled water.
      Lithium metal is not cheap. Around $40/kg or higher depending on purity. However, we're not buying lithium metal to make batteries. There is such a thing as lithium batteries that are not Li-ion batteries, but those are not rechargeable.
      If you are seeing a really high price for lithium, you may be looking at Pharmaceutical grade lithium compounds which are indeed expensive.

    13. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by dbIII · · Score: 1

      I do know. There's a lot and it's very easy to get to:
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    14. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by Rei · · Score: 1

      It's mainly manufacturing/capital costs. The most expensive "raw ingredient" in the batteries BTW is not lithium but cobalt. Which nobody ever mentions because it's not in the name of the batteries - you'd have people freaking out about "peak cobalt" if we had called them "cobalt cathode" batteries instead of "lithium ion".

      --
      I hate to bring up our imminent arrest during your crazy time, but we gotta move.
    15. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by Rei · · Score: 2

      Actually, it's just the other way around. The reserves of in-demand materials - especially those for which there was relatively little demand for previously - tend to grow, by orders of magnitude, over time. And the maximum production cost of lithium is essentially capped, because the oceans have an essentially inexhaustable supply, and it costs an estimated $20-35 per kilogram (last I checked, the figure may have gone down since then) to produce lithium salts from it. But nobody is going to be touching that in the foreseeable future because there are such vast reserves onshore - salars, hectorite clays, pegmatites, geothermal lithium, etc. Actually $7-ish/kg is rather expensive for lithium salts, the long-running price has been more like $4-5/kg. Which has led to a new rush of lithium exploration, as it was so underexplored previously. And companies are finding huge lithium deposits bloody everywhere. A lot in the US, actually.

      It's simply not a rare element.

      --
      I hate to bring up our imminent arrest during your crazy time, but we gotta move.
    16. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Sodium sulphur batteries are used in grid-scale smoothing applications for wind farms, or just as a general backup supply. They are cheap, environmentally friendly and easy to handle.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    17. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by EnglishTim · · Score: 1

      The world currently creates about 56 million passenger cars per year. A Tesla battery contains around 21kg of Lithium in it, so to switch all passenger car production over to lithium batteries, we're looking at in the order of one million tons of Lithium required per year, meaning production would have to ramp up by a factor of about 30, and we'd only have proven reserves for the next fourteen years.

      There's something like 32 million commercial vehicles made a year, and if we assume they need a battery on average close to twice the size of a passenger vehicle then we'll need 2 million tons of Lithium a year, (a 60x increase in production) with proven reserves to last us seven years.

      And that doesn't really figure in all the other places we'd start using batteries if we moved entirely away from fossil fuels.

    18. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by rch7 · · Score: 1

      21 kg at $30/kg top Lithium price assuming we run out if it on the ground and will need to extract from ocean water means $630 per car. Not impressive.
      Actually cobalt was more expensive component for Lion batteries. But as cobalt isn't in general battery name, ignorant masses don't know and don't cry in panic that we are running out of cobalt :/ No, you don't need to start panic now, they are just improving technology and reducing usage of cobalt in batteries.

    19. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by rch7 · · Score: 1

      It isn't $10,000. It is more like $15,000-$20,000 in junk yard or $40,000 list price at Tesla, or whatever is price now.

    20. Re: Far more abundant than lithium? by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Uh nope. Multiple new mines have been opened and plenty around. In addition, lithium can be gotten from the ocean, but at a costs of around 15/kg. Of course, that is 15 initially. At some point price would drop.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    21. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by mspohr · · Score: 1

      The Tesla has 7000 batteries at 0.6 gm lithium/battery... so 4 kg per car. Smaller cars will have fewer batteries.
      While it would be nice to convert all ICE vehicles to electric immediately, that is not the way the world works. It will, unfortunately, take many years to ramp up electric vehicle and battery production. Tesla itself is contracting to develop lithium resources in Nevada where they are apparently abundant (but not listed as part of the "proven reserves"). The ocean has about 230 billion tonnes of lithium which are not counted either.
      It's not likely that there will be a shortage of lithium... one of the most abundant elements in our world.

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
    22. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by crunchygranola · · Score: 1

      The issue of "proven reserves" seems almost always to be misunderstood by the random person doing a little Googling about resources. "Proven resources" are always tied to some price point. It is the amount of a resource that we know with assurance can be produced under a particular cost ceiling, usually closely tied to current market prices.

      This figure is in in no way a measure of how much is available for future use on Earth, the implication that people almost always make. It is an extremely conservative figure for the amount that is available for supply at current prices. The effect of full exploiting this proven reserve is never to "run out" (the conclusion invariably drawn), it is instead to raise the price somewhat, and to lead to further exploration of reserves. The reason these reserve estimates are made is to forecast near term commercial activity, not long term potential.

      It is a very common pattern for "proven reserves" to expand extremely fast with even modest price increases. There is often an enormous potential reserve that sets a ceiling on how prices might rise on a resource, since once that price point is reached "suddenly" there is an immense proven reserve available. For lithium (and some other elements, like uranium) this huge reserve is sea water. Modest increases of lithium (or uranium) prices makes mining the oceans, a supply good for thousands of years (or longer) practical.

      For example - that 14 million ton reserve figure? Well, the USGS is currently estimating "identified lithium resources" at 40 million tons, almost tripling the available amount they record with hardly any actual exploration involved, it is simply a matter of classification of what we already know. And most resources that are relatively abundant are also not intensively prospected for (yet) since there is no need.

      --
      Second class citizen of the New Gilded Age
    23. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by crunchygranola · · Score: 1

      The cost of raw materials tends to drop as the demand rises.

      Sometimes. Usually this happens when a raw material switches from being a niche product to an industrial one, but afterward this is not a general rule.

      This sounds counter intuitive but what happens is that technological advances in finding and extracting raw material generate price drops. Think shale oil.

      Not quite. What happened was was that reaching the peak production of conventional petroleum raised the prices high enough that expensive oil was now profitable to produce. Shale oil is more expensive than all but a few conventional oil sources. World oil prices have declined from their initial post-peak high simply because Saudi Arabia has chosen to turn on their cheap oil taps to drive down oil prices so low that expensive shale is no longer profitable. U.S. oil production stopped growing abruptly when they did this, it hasn't really declined much (it has dipped slightly) due to the fact that those expensive wells are already sunk costs, and it is more economical to keep pumping than shut them down at this point. But some have been shut down even so.

      BTW, this reinforces the point I make above in this thread about how rising prices open up new, previously untapped types of reserves. But at higher prices.

      --
      Second class citizen of the New Gilded Age
    24. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lithium carbonate is cheap, but by mass it has about 19% lithium (14/74). Extracting the lithium is energetically expensive, since it is very reactive and electropositive.

    25. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Besides that, when the batteries reach the end of their life, the lithium is still inside and could be recycled to build new batteries (fossil fuels are a different story). It's more a question of how many kg of lithium do you need for every person on Earth. With 14 million tons of easily recoverable lithium, we have about 2kg per person. This translates to around 30kWh per person (I may be somewhat off), which is a sizable amount.
      Furthermore, the 14 million tons figure does not take into account between 5 and 6 million tons in Bolivia (from a single place!), and there are likely still quite a few (likely smaller) brine reservoirs which add up to the currently known reserves.
      Lithium is not cheap to extract (carbonate is cheap, but getting the lithium out needs a lot of energy), however, it should be cheaper to recycle the lithium from dead batteries because the chemical environment is already a battery environment.

    26. Re:Far more abundant than lithium? by EnglishTim · · Score: 1

      Thank you. That's a very informative post.

  8. Our house is powered by these by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    But not in 18650 format. We have 25kwh of aqueous sodium ion batteries (5000 full cycles and still counting) giving us solar energy at night. Because of the lower voltage per cell, they use a safe sodium salt water electrolyte. G**gle aquion pittsburgh..

    1. Re:Our house is powered by these by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is this solution cheaper than Tesla powerwall in $/kWh ? The acquion site is too ashamed to disclose cost.

    2. Re:Our house is powered by these by Muad'Dave · · Score: 1

      No simple download of spec sheets without giving them my life history and medical records? No sale. Sorry, Aquion.

      --
      Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
    3. Re:Our house is powered by these by rch7 · · Score: 2

      If you google for aquion price, 2.6kWh costs $1200, which means $461/kWh. Or 30.6 kWh for $15,000. As usually, if price is not disclosed, it means it is for people who don't care about price :(

    4. Re:Our house is powered by these by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      Looks like they'll settle for an email address and a bunch of fake info ;-) but yeah it's odd that they don't give out the information freely...

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  9. Battery Advancements by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I keep old rechargeable batteries around to disprove the notion that there have been no advancements.

    #1 Radio Shack NiCad D size battery from the late 1980's. 1.2V 1200 Mah
    #2 Energizer NiMh AA size battery from the late 2000's 1.2V 2600 Mah (up to 1.4v when fully charged)
    #2 R/C heli Lipo, volume equivalent to C size from post 2010 3.7V 5000 Mah

    You do the math.

    1. Re:Battery Advancements by x0ra · · Score: 2

      #1 Radio Shack NiCad D size battery from the late 1980's. 1.2V 1200 Mah
      #2 Energizer NiMh AA size battery from the late 2000's 1.2V 2600 Mah (up to 1.4v when fully charged)

      1) battery voltage without load is meaningless, 2) a 2x capacity increase over nearly 30 years is pretty laughable and 3) I think you meant mAh, not Mahhttp://hardware.slashdot.org/story/15/11/30/2018211/researchers-create-sodium-battery-in-industry-standard-18650-format#

    2. Re:Battery Advancements by nightfire-unique · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Assuming a linear-ish discharge curve over a 70% discharge, 1.44Wh D cell to 18.5Wh (equivalent) C cell is not a 2x capacity increase.

      I want battery technology to increase an order of magnitude every year too, ... but come on. We've made enormous strides.

      You, yourself, can buy low-resistance, low-self-discharge lithium ion batteries at 250Wh/kg. And they're cheap. Compare that to 30Wh/kg NiCD batteries of 30 years ago.

      --
      A government is a body of people notably ungoverned - AC
    3. Re:Battery Advancements by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Consumer secondary batteries have 10x higher energy density by weight and volume today as compared to 30 years ago.

      Your smartphone battery would weigh 1lb, and be 5 times the thickness of your phone, if made using 1980s nicd.

    4. Re:Battery Advancements by msauve · · Score: 1

      Perhaps you didn't notice, but that "laughable" 2x increase what when comparing D size cells from then to AA size cells today. You can get a 10,000 mAh D size NiMH cell today, so an 8x increase would be a fairer comparison.

      And, the OP gave the commonly accepted nominal voltage. Since it's comparable between NiCd and NiMH, mAh is a fair (if imperfect) measure for comparing capacities of cells. Finally, I think you meant "Mah", not "Mahhttp://hardware.slashdot.org/story/15/11/30/2018211/researchers-create-sodium-battery-in-industry-standard-18650-format#".

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    5. Re:Battery Advancements by KGIII · · Score: 1

      We're geeks and nerds. We don't get out much. We kind of expect everything to increase at a rate similar to Moore's Law and anything less means there's a conspiracy (involving one of two major US political parties or secret organizations). Once in a while, we're right! We then tout this out proudly as a means to show our wit and insight - also to validate any other theories we might have.

      Personally? I'm pretty sure we'd have better battery tech but we don't really understand it as well as we pretend we do. That's because the tech is handed down, at a controlled rate, by aliens who live among us but have secret bases in the oceans. Some of those aliens can shape-change and appear as humans (if you're careful, you can tell the difference between some of them but they're getting better at it) and they've been controlling humans as a controlled scientific experiment since the dawn of written history (which isn't all of our history, mind you).

      I should also add, that written history and archaeological "evidence" is also, frequently, planted. Presumably, they want to be able to feed us controlled stimuli and see the results in a timely fashion thus we're enabled to "discover" certain things as they wish to acquire new data. It's likely because we'll be used as a proxy war with another alien race at some time in the future.

      Want some evidence? Obama... I bet you never heard of him before his senate race, right? Yeah, I thought so. There was a real Obama but he died in a car accident and was replaced by an alien who assumed his likeness.

      And that's why we don't have the battery technology we're deserving.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    6. Re:Battery Advancements by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1) battery voltage without load is meaningless

      Not really, he specified NiCa, NiMh and LiPo. How they work under load is pretty well known. Pick up the datasheets for 10 different NiMh batteries and the discharge curve will be almost identical.

      2) a 2x capacity increase over nearly 30 years is pretty laughable and

      Is it? Would you say that the advances in toothpaste have taken larger strides in that time?
      The only reason you claim it to be laughable is because you want it to be better. Why don't you stamp you foot in the ground and wave your arms and see if that helps?

      3) I think you meant mAh, not Mahhttp://hardware.slashdot.org/story/15/11/30/2018211/researchers-create-sodium-battery-in-industry-standard-18650-format#

      I think you meant Mah, not ahhttp://hardware.slashdot.org/story/15/11/30/2018211/researchers-create-sodium-battery-in-industry-standard-18650-format#
      Regardless, that is a pretty silly mistake and parent should feel ashamed for not capitalizing his units right.

    7. Re:Battery Advancements by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I keep old rechargeable batteries around to disprove the notion that there have been no advancements.

      #1 Radio Shack NiCad D size battery from the late 1980's. 1.2V 1200 Mah
      #2 Energizer NiMh AA size battery from the late 2000's 1.2V 2600 Mah (up to 1.4v when fully charged)
      #2 R/C heli Lipo, volume equivalent to C size from post 2010 3.7V 5000 Mah

      You do the math.

      I remember those old radio shack D cells with the 1.2 amp hour capacity. they weighed almost exactly what a AA cell battery of the same vintage did. Those AA batteries were also rated at 1.2 amp hours. they also sold a C size rechargeable (also strangely light) rated at .. wait for it.... 1.2 amp hours. At the time I concluded that the only difference in the three batteries was the outer case. So a fair comparison would be the AA's of then and now with an approximate 120% increase. Put that old D cell on a scale and see what I mean.

      Lithium cells are another story.

      c

    8. Re:Battery Advancements by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are correct. Most rechargeable D cells are still a C-cell in a D-casing even today.

    9. Re:Battery Advancements by x0ra · · Score: 1

      there is about 12 order of magnitude between 'm' and 'M'...

    10. Re:Battery Advancements by x0ra · · Score: 1

      We're geeks and nerds. We don't get out much. We kind of expect everything to increase at a rate similar to Moore's Law and anything less means there's a conspiracy [...].

      Not specifically, it's more along the lines that, if we want to store unreliable "renewable" energy, we'll need a boatload of batteries, which is a field which has been pretty much stagnating. This really comes down to the fact that "those in power" are comfortably shoveling "progress" on actual engineer, or "some" smart ass, without looking at the math. Efficiency follows a logarithmic scale, which mean it's easy to make 90% of the gain, but the more to tend toward 100% of the physically possible, the more difficult it gets. Look at Intel, they're starting to get bitten hard because they are reaching hard physical limits... I made this prediction 20 years ago during recess in secondary, everybody laugh at me.

    11. Re:Battery Advancements by michelcolman · · Score: 1

      What's a "Mah"? Did you mean "MAh"? (Mega-amp-hour?) That would be great, your second #2 cell would be able to recharge the 90 kWh Tesla battery more than two hundred thousand times! Where can I buy one?

    12. Re:Battery Advancements by KGIII · · Score: 1

      To wit, is it stagnating or just not progressing as fast as you're expecting? I do see your point about chips but I don't know where battery tech falls on the overall development scales and if we've reached size limits or have just decided that we want everything miniaturized.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    13. Re:Battery Advancements by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      9, you fail at SI prefixes.

    14. Re:Battery Advancements by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      battery voltage without load is meaningless

      Not so! Voltage under load is certainly informative, but the resting voltage of NiMH, Li-ion, LiFePO4, etc., reveal a cell's remaining capacity to an informed user. This is immediately useful, not meaningless, information.

    15. Re: Battery Advancements by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Most, yes, but it's not hard to get honest-to-goodness D-cell NiMH batteries, you just have to pay more than $1.25 for them. I needed them for one of those baseball-bat-sized flashlights and they certainly waaaay outperform the A-in-a-D-case units. They also take longer to charge :)

    16. Re: Battery Advancements by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      You may wish to rethink #2 there. That was not just a doubling in storage, but a massive cut in size. A D cell is roughly 8x bigger in volume. So that is 16x increase over less than 20 years.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    17. Re:Battery Advancements by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      Mega Angstrom hour?

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      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
    18. Re:Battery Advancements by michelcolman · · Score: 1

      Actually, it turns out to be mega "are" hour. One "are" is a hundred square meters. So that's a hundred million square meters times hours.

    19. Re:Battery Advancements by xtronics · · Score: 1

      When I first saw this I thought it was a joke..

      Of course it reads like most of the 'venture-volture'(tm) - ratings not connected to each other (fer-instance 2000 cycle - without the depth of the cycle - you can get that out of a lead-acid if you tweak the depth of discharge to 2%.)

      The key spec for a rechargeable batter is the total amount of power you can draw out of the battery before reaching 60% capacity with the cycle depth specified. -- and a Cost !

      Yet, it could be that for super cheap applications Na batteries make sense..

    20. Re:Battery Advancements by Agripa · · Score: 1

      #1 Radio Shack NiCad D size battery from the late 1980's. 1.2V 1200 Mah

      That is not a true D size battery. Even back then, true D sized NiCd cells had a capacity of 4 amp-hours. Your example is a C cell placed inside of a D cell enclosure which is still commonly done.

  10. "Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight batt by raymorris · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I knew that power tools and laptops used 18650 cells, which are slightly larger than AA batteries. Given the hype about "Tesla's advanced battery technology", I'm pretty surprised to learn the Tesla battery is also simply 7,000 flashlight batteries.

    I see that the Tesla battery pack weighs 1,200 pounds. Reducing weight greatly improves efficiency, handling, braking, and acceleration, meaning lighter weight is all around better. It seems a bit wasteful of weight and materials to have 7,000 metal casings around 7,000 tiny batteries, connected with thousands of connections, rather far fewer larger cells. I'm surprised they don't use perhaps 24 or 100 larger cells instead, thereby eliminating thousands of unnecessary casings and connections.

  11. Battery Specs by myrdos2 · · Score: 2

    The most important details: The energy density performance (90Wh/kg) are above the expectations especially considering the excellent cycle life (at least 2.000 charge/discharge cycles). It would also be nice to see voltage drop-off as the battery discharges and expected price, but now I'm getting greedy...

    1. Re:Battery Specs by JoeMerchant · · Score: 2

      Price will be at a disadvantage until production has scaled up. Personally, I like having a more linear voltage dropoff with discharge - you can always switch the voltage up to whatever you need, and if you are discharging near capability limits - unless this is a drag cycle, you are going to have disappointing time to full discharge.

    2. Re:Battery Specs by Amazing+Proton+Boy · · Score: 1

      Typical lithium 18650's have energy densities of 200-230 Wh/kg. This battery is less than half as good. Let's see if they can improve it but this is a non-starter for now. Regular Panasonic 18650 specs: http://industrial.panasonic.co...

    3. Re:Battery Specs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Li-Ion Phosphate has half the energy density of Standard Li-Ion.
      So I hope these batteries are less than half the price.

  12. Re:"Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight b by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

    Shooting in the dark here - do the individual batteries make the larger pack more serviceable / recyclable? Packing the lithium into larger solid cells may also create problems with cooling / leak containment, etc. I'm sure there's more than a couple of whitepapers on the the topic out there.

  13. Re:"Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight b by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Runaway thermal chain reaction is not fun for lithium batteries. And economy of scale is the operative word to get batteries at car capacity down to a reasonable cost. Millions (billions?) of those batteries are made every year, and you can get them from everywhere.

  14. Re:"Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight b by TheGavster · · Score: 4, Informative

    The idea on many small battery cells is that the standard size makes them available from multiple suppliers, reducing risk, and the gaps between the cells due to the packing fraction provide a conduit for cooling.

    Telsa does have a lifecycle plan to refurbish packs from cars for use in the home; at least in the press photos, the home packs are a different form factor, so I wonder if they break up the packs to cull outright broken cells and then reconstitute the good ones into wall units. Since the breakdown is a function of electrode area, having the area in smaller pieces might help with reuse.

    --
    "Because Science" is one step from "Because old book". Try "Because of my experiment testing my falsifiable assertion".
  15. So where is it? by AndyKron · · Score: 1

    I've been hearing a lot lately about this super battery, and that super battery, but I don't see my quadcopter flying any longer than before.

    1. Re:So where is it? by scdeimos · · Score: 1

      Well that's just obvious. It won't fly any longer if you haven't upgraded the battery.

    2. Re:So where is it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You haven't noticed advances in batteries available? How about, "now you can buy an electric quadcopter"? Just 20 years ago, all R/C helicopters ran on gasoline!

  16. Re:"Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight b by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    If you want an actual answer instead of just an excuse to bag on Tesla ... Smaller cells have more surface area to dump heat, which is crucial when recharging. In other words, the mass of the casing (which is not large) is actively being used for thermal management. Additionally, in the manufacturing process, smaller cells have a lower reject rate and allow both a much more repairable battery pack than custom cells and improve the performance as cells degrade. The packing density for these cells is pretty good, (85%) and smaller cells allows tailoring to custom shapes, though Tesla doesn't take advantage of that, having roughly rectangular packs.

  17. Yes, exactly. by Medievalist · · Score: 2

    The "many small batteries" approach is what makes it possible to get a decent charge in a Tesla in around 20 minutes... instead of 80+ hours.

    If you charge 7,000 small batteries in parallel you'll do it roughly 1000 times faster than charging seven huge batteries with the same total capacity.

    1. Re:Yes, exactly. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what? how? why? your assertion doesn't make any sense

    2. Re:Yes, exactly. by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 1

      If that's true then the people at Tesla are being stupid. They should use 50 thousands rechargeable CR32 batteries!

    3. Re:Yes, exactly. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      His name is Medievalist. He's accusing you of being a witch.

    4. Re:Yes, exactly. by tlhIngan · · Score: 4, Informative

      The "many small batteries" approach is what makes it possible to get a decent charge in a Tesla in around 20 minutes... instead of 80+ hours.

      If you charge 7,000 small batteries in parallel you'll do it roughly 1000 times faster than charging seven huge batteries with the same total capacity.

      More importantly, the 7000 little batteries actually make the system more efficient than 7 large ones. Because of the massive amount of power the motors have (50+ kW), using more cells in series means higher voltages. And higher voltages means lowered currents which mean less wasted power in IIR losses. Double the voltage, halve the current, one-quarter the loss. It's why transmission lines are high voltage, why data centers usually get 208V or higher (besides three-phase) at the racks, etc.

      7 lithium batteries only gets you 28V. If we use 56kW, that's nearly 2000A you have to draw - you probably will have to use the chassis split down the middle to carry that kind of current. 7000 lithium batteries as 7x1000 (4000V) series packs means drawing 14A from each pack, or 98A total. Of course, no one runs that high a pack voltage - safety reasons - it's usually closer to 480V or so, which is a large current but still manageable.

    5. Re:Yes, exactly. by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 1

      So he's saying the batteries are made of wood...?

    6. Re:Yes, exactly. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Charging is all about area vs volume. For various reasons there are limits to the current density in amps per square centimeter. Same reason why an automotive lead acid battery has very thin 'plates' vs a 'deep cycle' lead acid which has heavier and thicker plates. The former is optimized to produce a huge amount of current for a short time. The other is optimized for power density.

      Heat is also an issue. Some of the energy is lost as heat when charging/discharging and you need to get it out.

      Why 18650 size, probably because it's fairly optimal and produced in huge quantities.

    7. Re:Yes, exactly. by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      For comparison a Nissan Leaf has an 80kW motor, with the maximum draw on the batteries being about 90kW when you include all the accessories (heating, lighting etc.) The battery is 24kWh, or 30kWh in the new model.

      A 90kW motor is said to be equivalent to a 130HP petrol engine, but I find it's actually a fair bit quicker off the mark due to the instant torque right from zero. The car actually has to hold back to stop the wheels spinning - even if you disable traction control, it will only give you about 60-70% maximum power below 10 KPH.

      --
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      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  18. Re:"Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight b by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Define "fun". Seems fun to me.

  19. Re:"Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight b by mspohr · · Score: 1

    Tesla chose the 18650 battery since they were light (power/weight) and cheap and they could get them in large quantities. They designed the battery pack to sit low under the passenger compartment. This gives the car a very low center of gravity and amazing handling. The battery case is very thin with small mass and the large number of small batteries allows for a liquid temperature management system which is crucial for long life and performance.

    --
    I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
  20. Where do they come up with this crap? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    FTFA:

    In the late 1980s, this technology had in fact been set aside in favor of lithium, whose superiority seemed obvious to all: thanks to a voltage of 3.5 V, lithium in theory provides the most energy.

    WTF? Voltage is not a measure of energy. Negative ion generators pump out thousands of volts but output in the order of microamps.

  21. 2000-3000 mAh perhaps? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    TFA says "its energy density (the quantity of energy that can be stored per kilo of battery) is comparable to certain lithium-ion batteries, such as the Li-ion iron/phosphate battery," which would put it somewhere in the 2000+ mAh range. Sodium certainly sounds like it would be an available resource.

    The 18650 form factor is pretty useful. High powered flashlights use them with Cree LED emitters, and they are ubiquitous in e-cig battery mods. Not to mention power packs for rechargeable tools, motorized toy vehicles, and Tesla cars.

    Look on Ebay for 18650 flashlight. They are intensely bright little things.

    1. Re:2000-3000 mAh perhaps? by mark-t · · Score: 1

      TFA lies about the energy density being comparable.

      The article states that the energy density of this sodium battery is 90 watt hours per kilogram, except Li-Ion typically stores between 250 and 320 watt-hours per kilogram.

      So they have a ways to go.

    2. Re:2000-3000 mAh perhaps? by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      If you're comparing 18650 cells, you need to use watt hours per volume, not mass.

    3. Re:2000-3000 mAh perhaps? by mark-t · · Score: 1

      I don't recall seeing anywhere in the article where watt-hours per liter are achieved with this technology, but even if it is more dense per unit volume than Li-Ion, all that means is that you save space.... if it weighs more, then it still requires more energy to push around, which is important if you want your batteries to be mobile.

  22. Re:"Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight b by currently_awake · · Score: 0

    Possibly the oil company that owns the patent on larger batteries won't let them be built?

  23. Battery Tech Has Impoved! by HannethCom · · Score: 3, Informative

    When I first started looking at standard AA batteries in about 1994 you had your normal Zink-carbon batteries that the good ones would be 1200mAh capacity. There were some premium Alkaline batteries that were 2000mAh. If you wanted rechargeable you were looking at NiCd at about 800mAh.

    Fast forward to about 2004. Alkaline batteries at about 2000mAh was standard. Lithium batteries at 3000mAh were around and NiMH had almost completely replaced NiCd at about 2100mAh for good quality ones. Then there is also the proliferation of Li-Ion batteries for other applications. Charge times for rechargeable batteries had come way down.

    Today Alkaline batteries are at about 2600mAh, with Lithium still at 3000mAh. NiMH are still in use and the good ones are still at 2100mAh with some "Pro" batteries at 2550mAh. Li-Ion still in great use, but getting smaller while keeping the same amount of power. Charging times have continued to decrease, mostly with new charging technology that can be used on the older batteries as well.

    What does the future hold? Well, we have heard about tech for making Li-Ion batteries fully charge in minutes. There is the improvement in sodium batteries. Different chemical combinations of Li-Ion to hold more power.

    Why is it not here now? Most new technology takes at least 5 years from announcement of it working, to being able to mass produce it at a decent cost. That is for companies that have lots of money and experience in that specific field. More of an average is 10 years between proof of concept and mass production. 10 years may sound like a long time to people, but in the manufacturing world with new technology, it really isn't that long. Intel runs with a 10 year plan, and they can bring many of their advancements to market in 5 years. Intel is a company with a lot of money and a lot of knowledge about exactly what they do and yet, they still work on basically 10 year plans. Most companies are not as efficient.

    Yes many times products will be designed and brought to market in 1 to 2 years, but they usually use existing technology. They use chips, tech, batteries that exist when the product is announced. They already have the full design done, all they need to do is mass produce them, and it still takes 1-2 years. Even though exactly how to mass produce it and all the parts are known. New technology on the other hand is a different beast that there are often problems in figuring out how to mass produce it, or they find out that it can't be mass produced cheaply enough.

    The other thing is that you are getting the new technology all the time, you just don't notice it because it is done in an incremental process. The battery has a little more power, it is a little smaller, it charges a little faster. Where if you compare something today to 10 years ago you would notice that the battery stores a lot more power, it is a lot smaller and it charges a lot faster.

    --
    Microsoft, Apple, Google, Amazon what's the difference? All steal money from devs and control with walled gardens.
  24. How about Sodium Sulfur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I seem to remember a company called Ceramatec having developed a ceramic membrane that would make domestic sodium sulfur batteries possible by 2010. Fridge sized, 50kWh, long life, about $4k (in 'then' money). Wonder what happened to that? Bought over and buried by big energy? Too convenient for people switching to off-grid renewable sources perhaps? I believe some US states have already made living off grid illegal.

    1. Re:How about Sodium Sulfur by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      From their website: http://www.ceramatec.com/technology/ceramic-solid-state-ionic-technologies/advanced-energy-storage/solid-electrolyte-batteries.php

      Ceramatec appears to be mostly an R&D company that spins off production entities, but I only looked for about 3 minutes so I could be wrong. Lithium and sodium battery research is ongoing. They focus on ceramics, and a large part of their business is energy related.

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
  25. My usual forecast by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This will amount to nothing. It will never make it to the market. In a few months time, nobody will remember it. Anybody want to bet against me on this?

    1. Re:My usual forecast by gnupun · · Score: 1

      That's the same sentiment everyone had when Tesla was formed to create electric cars.

    2. Re:My usual forecast by cwsumner · · Score: 1

      This will amount to nothing. It will never make it to the market. In a few months time, nobody will remember it. Anybody want to bet against me on this?

      That sounds like a beauracrat's tactic of predicting something random, then hoping that no-one will remember it if they are wrong... 8-)

  26. But the kids today don't know squat... by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 1

    ...about sodium! So we'lll just have to reach them through the rock-n-roll music that the kids seem to like.

  27. Sodium is bound to elements, that become waste. by dsmatthews9379 · · Score: 1

    It looks like they solved one problem by creating another. If we extract huge amounts of sodium from naturally occurring salts what will become of all those other reactive elements that made up the other part of the salt molecule?

    Wouldn't batteries sourced from metallic oxides be better for the environment because the released oxygen (waste) will also compensate for oxygen lost due to all the carbon we have burned and turned into CO2?

    1. Re:Sodium is bound to elements, that become waste. by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      Everyone needs a little bit of chlorine!

  28. Precarious business model by Michael+Woodhams · · Score: 1

    It sounds like a precarious business model. Everyone prefers lithium batteries. So long as lithium prices are high enough, you can find a market for cheaper inferior batteries. But high lithium prices will lead to higher lithium production and prices likely coming back down. In building a sodium battery plant, you're gambling on lithium price being sufficiently high most of the time for several decades into the future.

    The picture changes if you can make the sodium batteries as good as lithium for at least some market niche, or if your battery plant can easily switch between lithium and sodium (which seems fairly likely.)

    --
    Quattuor res in hoc mundo sanctae sunt: libri, liberi, libertas et liberalitas.
    1. Re:Precarious business model by Guspaz · · Score: 1

      Well, an 18650 cell has maybe half a cent worth of lithium in it, so... do you really think that switching to a cheaper metal is going to make much of a difference?

      Sodium batteries aren't going to see any adoption unless they have some technical superiority over lithium ion.

    2. Re:Precarious business model by Maury+Markowitz · · Score: 1

      > The picture changes if you can make the sodium batteries as good as lithium

      That's just it, you can't. Sodium just doesn't work the same way.

      You can "get around" this if you move to using air as one of the reactants, but this version is sealed so that's out.

  29. Sodium and explosions by bjdevil66 · · Score: 1

    Isn't sodium really toxic (not good when exposed to air) and explodes on contact with water (youtube.com has plenty of examples of this)? I wonder how long it would be before a lawyer sues the battery makers after someone opens a battery somewhere near water? Maybe they have taken this into account with the battery design?

    1. Re: Sodium and explosions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What makes you think elemental lithium is any safer than elemental sodium?

      Pro-tip: it isn't.

    2. Re: Sodium and explosions by mandolin · · Score: 1

      What makes you think elemental lithium is any safer than elemental sodium? Pro-tip: it isn't.

      That depends on how you're measuring "safer". For example, sodium is more reactive than lithium in water.

    3. Re:Sodium and explosions by clovis · · Score: 2

      Isn't sodium really toxic (not good when exposed to air) and explodes on contact with water (youtube.com has plenty of examples of this)? I wonder how long it would be before a lawyer sues the battery makers after someone opens a battery somewhere near water? Maybe they have taken this into account with the battery design?

      Does not matter because they aren't using sodium metal, they're using a sodium compound.

  30. except they don't. Voltage of 120 batteries by raymorris · · Score: 1

    You COULD use 7,000 cells at 3.7 volts each in series to get 25,800 volts. As you know, they run at 480V or so - the voltage of 120V lithium ion cells, as I originally said. So no, that's NOT a reason to use hundreds of little batteries rather than 100 much larger ones.

    GP is also wrong, the maximum charge rate of lithium ion (in amps) is approximately equal to the capacity of the cell in amp-hours. That is to say, you can charge a lithium ion cell in an hour (plus safety factor) no matter what size it is. Two 500ma cells do NOT charge faster than one 1000ma cell. It takes an hour to charge, regardless of size.

  31. no, not at all. Max charge rate is one hour, regar by raymorris · · Score: 1

    That's simply not true at all. The maximum charge rate of any lithium ion cell, large or small, is about one hour to fully charge (plus a safety factor) . Two 50,00ma cells take exactly the same amount of time to charge as one 10,000ma cell.

  32. Re:"Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight b by Firethorn · · Score: 1

    I see that the Tesla battery pack weighs 1,200 pounds. Reducing weight greatly improves efficiency, handling, braking, and acceleration, meaning lighter weight is all around better. It seems a bit wasteful of weight and materials to have 7,000 metal casings around 7,000 tiny batteries, connected with thousands of connections, rather far fewer larger cells. I'm surprised they don't use perhaps 24 or 100 larger cells instead, thereby eliminating thousands of unnecessary casings and connections.

    There are a number of reasons.
    1. 18650 cells are the cheapest per kWh, significantly so.
    2. The smaller cell size helps with thermal management. It's easier to deal with the heat from using the batteries the smaller they are. There have been problems with airlines that use larger cells with them catching fire.
    3. Power capability is actually higher with smaller cells. For a car with the acceleration of a Model-S, this is important.
    4. Due to the amount of R&D into the cell, which is the most common LiIon cell in the world, weight and volume wise it's at least as energy dense as anything else, extra casing or not.
    5. The connections aren't actually that big of a deal, most of the batteries are simply end-to-end.

    --
    I don't read AC A human right
  33. Well look at that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Guess we won't need to mine asteroids to get "absurdly valuable" minerals, technology always gets better.

    1. Re:Well look at that by cwsumner · · Score: 1

      Guess we won't need to mine asteroids to get "absurdly valuable" minerals, technology always gets better.

      No, they will mine things like Iron and Water so as to avoid lifting them up out of a gravity well.
      Why bother with bringing them back to Earth? 8-)

  34. Re:except they don't. Voltage of 120 batteries by aXis100 · · Score: 2

    The charging comment is only true up to a point. As you get larger solid packs, the surface area doesn't increase as fast as the volume and the insides can get very hot. Thermal management is super critical for many battery types so this is a major limitation.

    With a small cylindrical battery, the empty packing space between the cells provides a perfect channel for cooling.

  35. Or consider... by aepervius · · Score: 1

    ... That tech is harder and some development do not pan out of the lab.

    --
    C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
    visit randi.org
    1. Re:Or consider... by shaitand · · Score: 1

      False dichotomy, developments not panning out of the lab do not preclude energy companies from buying up advances they believe will pan out.

  36. It's dug out of salt lakes by dbIII · · Score: 2
    Take a look at the mining operation halfway down the page:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salar_de_Uyuni

    And also where the hell did you get your numbers for cost? I found $9.50/0.1kg or $95/kg if buying bulk, and in smaller amounts it's $270/kg

    Why are you shifting the goalposts to a price that a battery manufacturer buying by the tonne would never pay? Maybe you could just do a google search like this:
    http://www.google.com/search?q=lithium+price+per+tonne

    1. Re:It's dug out of salt lakes by Rei · · Score: 3, Informative

      Indeed, lithium mining from salars is actually one of the more benign mining processes that exists. You're out on an area that is virtually devoid of life, pumping up saltwater, letting it evaporate in ponds to concentrate it, selectively crystalizing the desired salts (such as lithium salts) out, and setting the remaining salts back on the salt flat. Every year the annual floods come and resurface the entire thing.

      You know, sometimes it feels like people just want to hate any new technology.

      --
      I hate to bring up our imminent arrest during your crazy time, but we gotta move.
  37. Re:Coren22's impersonation "APKolypse" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    lolwut.. What the fuck has this got to do with batteries?

  38. Re:Heh. Tesla Model S by Twinbee · · Score: 1

    The S is a great example of the 18650. What's the issue?

    --
    Why OpalCalc is the best Windows calc
  39. Re:"Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight b by stkris · · Score: 1
    Perhaps you should look up the word "battery"?

    a number of similar articles, items, or devices arranged, connected, or used together

    http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/battery/

  40. Fisted, Malwarebytes' people have it... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject & this stupid -> "yes I've seen the code & yes it is safe." FROM http://forum.hosts-file.net/vi... where a real security pro went over it in the past and current builds.

    * You FAIL loser...

    APK

    P.S.=> Where's YOUR CODE for anything loser? It's not... you wouldn't KNOW what to do with others code, considering a fool like you has none of your own you can show for yourself, lol... apk

  41. Re:Fisted: Malwarebytes' people have it... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  42. Re:Hello again, stupid fuck... apk by Coren22 · · Score: 1

    Like you blew me last night?

    --
    APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  43. look up "number". 120 is a number by raymorris · · Score: 1

    Perhaps you should look up the word "number". 24 is a number, 120 is a number. 7000 is an excessively high and wasteful number.

  44. Re:"Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight b by Big_Breaker · · Score: 1

    Tesla's system is like a two level RAID array for batteries. The car can work around weak cells and failing modules with software and targeted replacement (a RAID6+ of modules employing RAID6+ with the cells). One monolithic battery or even a small number of them would not have the same flexibility or replacebility. Also Tesla's business goals would have them buying a vast fraction of the battery production in short order. It made sense to start with the most widely manufactured 18650 cell. Now that they are building their own factory I imagine you'll see custom packs perfectly suited to their needs.

    Lots of projects on Endless-Sphere are now using pouch cells. They have more kwh per unit (~20 Ahr vs 2.2-3Ahr), stack densely and employ tabs that make it easy to connect them in parallel or series.

  45. Re:"Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight b by rch7 · · Score: 1

    They are small scale automaker and were not able to order whole new production lines for custom form at that time, going all custom isn't cheap either. So they just used what was available with some improvements, they are not the same flashlight batteries despite the same form factor. They are going to increase battery size a bit in the future. Other automakers use bigger cells.

  46. Re:"Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight b by rch7 · · Score: 1

    It is not worth to recycle lithium, it is too cheap.

  47. Re: "Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    Larger cells mean inability to control the heat which is what really destroys the cells. In addition, with high parallelism, they are able to deliver a great deal more amps as well as charge much faster. IOW, the use of massive cells was an intelligent choice, not one forced on them. In addition, the wrappers are not the same as what goes into your laptop.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  48. Re:"Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight b by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

    Recycle may also be a euphemism for "dispose of responsibly" - landfills full of lithium probably aren't a good idea, we're already "medicating nature" with wastewater contaminated by pharmaceutical lithium.

  49. Re:Coren22's impersonation "APKolypse" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Jesus fucking Christ, this asshole's becoming annoying... Spewing this shit all over the place. Go somewhere else and make a mess, asshat.

  50. Coren22's impersonation "APKolypse" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Coren22 IMPERSONATES RESPECTED MEMBERS OF THE SECURITY COMMUNITY http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

    ---

    "privilege escalation's a bad thing" - by Coren22 on Tuesday September 22, 2015

    How else programmatically update it?

    "requires elevation to write hosts" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday September 23, 2015

    Hypocrite later admits it - hosts do vs. WFP/SFP not my ware. Users set it not programmatic impersonation. Security wares need it.

    ---

    "secretary at MalwareBytes took a look at his source code & said it looked all good" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

    Mr. Steven Burn of Malwarebytes

    "yes I've seen the code & yes it is safe." FROM http://forum.hosts-file.net/vi...

    ---

    "we should avoid your crap it looks like malware." - by Coren22 (1625475) on Monday November 02, 2015 @03:52PM (#50850445)

    60++ reputable sources say different:

    64-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

    +

    32-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

    &

    Installer-> http://f.virscan.org/APKHostsF...

    MalwareBytes' hpHosts Admin (MalwareBytes employee) hosts & recommends it -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl...

    ---

    "MiTM... his software provides" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

    Hardcoded favs users provide = REVERSE DNS verified & my ware filters 5,500++ false positives - security site hosts data = false positives filtered.

    ---

    "Apk doesn't think DNS servers are worth running & believes Microsoft Active Directory can run w/out DNS." - by Coren22 (1625475) on Tuesday October 27, 2015

    Show us where I say it? Not illogic logic but where I say it. I say AD needs internal DNS far back as 2007

    http://forums.tweaktown.com/wi...

    See "To warn users who have ActiveDirectory/AD LAN-WAN setups to NOT use external DNS servers" there.

    APK

    P.S.=>

    "modding you down for trolling in your signature" - by Dog-Cow (21281) on Wednesday November 25, 2015

    Dog-Cow's (old acc't. no new sockpuppet from you) thoughts of your signatures about me

    ... apk

  51. LOL, like you blew it & YOURSELF today by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: 3x in a row in a post that snapped you in 1/2 Coren22 http://slashdot.org/comments.p... ? How about the 1 before it too http://slashdot.org/comments.p... ?? What about your classic list of FAILS too Coren22 http://slashdot.org/comments.p... ???

    * :)

    (You're just TOO STUPID to live... lol, no joke!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Your assburgers mentally damaged goods brain showed it itself bigtime in the 1st two... how so? You failed to account for adblocking (another speed gainer hosts yield above & beyond hardcoded favorites which you concede cached in RAM are faster than remote DNS lookups) which makes up for even the SUB 4% times I have to look to DNS - rare in & of itself, but it offsets that (since pages are only literally 1/2 their size MINUS ads bloating them) - this proves your LIMITED ASSBURGERS BRAIN can only handle 1 variable @ a time, lol - no wonder you're not capable of coding... apk

  52. *SNAP* goes Coren22's leg... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The 1 leg he thought he could stand on vs. me that snapped you in 1/2 Coren22 http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

    How about the 1 before it too http://slashdot.org/comments.p... ??

    What about your classic list of FAILS too Coren22 http://slashdot.org/comments.p... ???

    * :)

    (You're just TOO STUPID to live... lol, no joke!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Your assburgers mentally damaged goods brain showed it itself bigtime in the 1st two... how so? You failed to account for adblocking (another speed gainer hosts yield above & beyond hardcoded favorites which you concede cached in RAM are faster than remote DNS lookups) which makes up for even the SUB 4% times I have to look to DNS - rare in & of itself, but it offsets that (since pages are only literally 1/2 their size MINUS ads bloating them) - this proves your LIMITED ASSBURGERS BRAIN can only handle 1 variable @ a time, lol - no wonder you're not capable of coding... apk

  53. Coren22's impersonation "APKolypse" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Coren22 IMPERSONATES RESPECTED MEMBERS OF THE SECURITY COMMUNITY http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

    ---

    "privilege escalation's a bad thing" - by Coren22 on Tuesday September 22, 2015

    How else programmatically update it?

    "requires elevation to write hosts" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday September 23, 2015

    Hypocrite later admits it - hosts do vs. WFP/SFP not my ware. Users set it not programmatic impersonation. Security wares need it.

    ---

    "secretary at MalwareBytes took a look at his source code & said it looked all good" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

    Mr. Steven Burn of Malwarebytes

    "yes I've seen the code & yes it is safe." FROM http://forum.hosts-file.net/vi...

    ---

    "we should avoid your crap it looks like malware." - by Coren22 (1625475) on Monday November 02, 2015 @03:52PM (#50850445)

    60++ reputable sources say different:

    64-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

    +

    32-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

    &

    Installer-> http://f.virscan.org/APKHostsF...

    MalwareBytes' hpHosts Admin (MalwareBytes employee) hosts & recommends it -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl...

    ---

    "MiTM... his software provides" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

    Hardcoded favs users provide = REVERSE DNS verified & my ware filters 5,500++ false positives - security site hosts data = false positives filtered.

    ---

    "Apk doesn't think DNS servers are worth running & believes Microsoft Active Directory can run w/out DNS." - by Coren22 (1625475) on Tuesday October 27, 2015

    Show us where I say it? Not illogic logic but where I say it. I say AD needs internal DNS far back as 2007

    http://forums.tweaktown.com/wi...

    See "To warn users who have ActiveDirectory/AD LAN-WAN setups to NOT use external DNS servers" there.

    APK

    P.S.=>

    "modding you down for trolling in your signature" - by Dog-Cow (21281) on Wednesday November 25, 2015

    Dog-Cow's (old acc't. no new sockpuppet from you) thoughts of your signatures about me

    ... apk

  54. Re:Coren22's impersonation "APKolypse" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Coren22 likes his signatures about apk. Apk likes posting Coren22's fuckups wherever he posts. If Coren22 wouldn't try hide apk's posts with abused downmods apk wouldn't post it so much.

  55. I should have put it this way by dbIII · · Score: 1

    Mostly getting something new into production is a hell of a lot more work than a promising prototype so the new technologies falter at that step instead of being actively stopped by anyone.

    Another thing to add is a lot of stuff actually works but is not considered worth putting into production to compete against current oil and coal prices. When the oil price doubles or more again you'll see a few interesting things coming into production a few years after that jump.

  56. Re:Density matches first Li-ion by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The energy density of the sodium battery matches the first lithium ion batteries.
    So technically speaking not wrong but still very deceptive.
    Typical marketing speak!

  57. Re: Coren22's impersonation "APKolypse" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I really wish you would die. I come here to read comments that may offer insight into the articles posted. Nobody and I mean nobody gives a fuck about your psychopathic autistic rants. Shut the fuck up.