5 ms·

Progress in batteries has come a long way in the last 20 years. It's one of the reasons your quadcopter is even possible.

cheriot 10y ago
Do you know of anywhere that charts improvements in commercially available batteries? I have a similar impression to OP, but only based on anecdotes.
- kristofferR 10y ago
  https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/29mxnz/the_progression_of_the_18650_battery/ https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/29mxnz/the_pro... "2010 (early) Max. capacity 2600mAh (This has existed before) 2011 (early) Max. capacity 2900mAh/3000mAh 2012 (early) Max. capacity 3100mAh 2012 (mid) Max. capacity 3400mAh 2013 (late) Max. capacity 3600mAh (Are not yet common)" . 3600mAh is apparently still the max capacity available.
  - imtringued 10y ago
    Battery capacity doubles every nine years. I'm not narcissistic enough to give this "law" a name. The opposite is also probably true. A battery technology that promises to double today's capacity is at least 9 years away from being commercially available.
Retr0spectrum 10y ago
Undoubtedly, but my impression is that it's been more of a gradual refinement of the same technology, rather than a sudden 2x improvement as claimed here.
- ptaipale 10y ago
  Well, there have been clear technological jumps. I remember the time when the mainstream technology for electronic gadgets was NiCd. Then came NiMH -> Li-ion -> Li-Po. The differences are quite significant.
  - usrusr 10y ago
    Li-Ion is nearly as old as NiMH. They coexisted for a long time, on very different price levels. When people think of battery progress, they usually just think of how LiIon got cheap enough for a use case that was on NiMH before. That certainly is also progress, but of a very differed kind than what they think it was.
    - ptaipale 10y ago
      I think it is clear progress if manufacturing becomes so much cheaper that the technology is actually available to more people.
      - usrusr 10y ago
        It is progress, but because of the price-enabled technology switch, there are many misconceptions the kind of progress and its expected continuation. Outside of fixed installations, price only translates to capacity when there is a next level technology available at a higher price point. I don't see that now. We might be left to forever squeeze out the last remaining bits of inefficiency from current technology (non-reacting mass fraction due to insufficient surface area per mass?)
dozzie 10y ago
Sure, of course. It's not like the amateurs used combustion engines in their flying models for decades.

cheriot 10y ago

Do you know of anywhere that charts improvements in commercially available batteries? I have a similar impression to OP, but only based on anecdotes.

kristofferR 10y ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/29mxnz/the_progression_of_the_18650_battery/ https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/29mxnz/the_pro... "2010 (early) Max. capacity 2600mAh (This has existed before) 2011 (early) Max. capacity 2900mAh/3000mAh 2012 (early) Max. capacity 3100mAh 2012 (mid) Max. capacity 3400mAh 2013 (late) Max. capacity 3600mAh (Are not yet common)" . 3600mAh is apparently still the max capacity available.
- imtringued 10y ago
  Battery capacity doubles every nine years. I'm not narcissistic enough to give this "law" a name. The opposite is also probably true. A battery technology that promises to double today's capacity is at least 9 years away from being commercially available.

Retr0spectrum 10y ago

Undoubtedly, but my impression is that it's been more of a gradual refinement of the same technology, rather than a sudden 2x improvement as claimed here.

ptaipale 10y ago
Well, there have been clear technological jumps. I remember the time when the mainstream technology for electronic gadgets was NiCd. Then came NiMH -> Li-ion -> Li-Po. The differences are quite significant.
- usrusr 10y ago
  Li-Ion is nearly as old as NiMH. They coexisted for a long time, on very different price levels. When people think of battery progress, they usually just think of how LiIon got cheap enough for a use case that was on NiMH before. That certainly is also progress, but of a very differed kind than what they think it was.
  - ptaipale 10y ago
    I think it is clear progress if manufacturing becomes so much cheaper that the technology is actually available to more people.
    - usrusr 10y ago
      It is progress, but because of the price-enabled technology switch, there are many misconceptions the kind of progress and its expected continuation. Outside of fixed installations, price only translates to capacity when there is a next level technology available at a higher price point. I don't see that now. We might be left to forever squeeze out the last remaining bits of inefficiency from current technology (non-reacting mass fraction due to insufficient surface area per mass?)

dozzie 10y ago

Sure, of course. It's not like the amateurs used combustion engines in their flying models for decades.