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This would be a real game changer for electric cars. Even a "mere" 3x enhancement would already make them really competitive with combustion engines ones, but w

This would be a real game changer for electric cars. Even a "mere" 3x enhancement would already make them really competitive with combustion engines ones, but with 10x they would just be better than our traditional cars. Let's hope this technology can be industrialized in an economic way.

Torn 15y ago
It'll surely be patented and sat on for a while at a very high price. My bet is we'll need to wait $time_of_release + 10 years until we see things working out over traditional cars.
- danmaz74 15y ago
  It will be patented - yes. Sat on at a very high price - I don't think so. Even if you only think about maximizing profits, with a technology like this you would make much more money by creating a new market (mass produced electric cars) with lower margins and very big numbers than with high margins and very little numbers. On the other hand, if the technology required to mass produce this kind of batteries will be too new, it could take time to scale it and bring costs down. Let's hope it isn't too innovative.
- tsotha 15y ago
  You can't "sit on" patents. The whole point of the patent system is to get an idea out there so people can use it. As a patent holder you're required to license your invention for a reasonable amount (I'm not really sure how that's determined - probably in court). If you don't, a judge can put your invention in the public domain and give you nothing. The stories you hear about the 300 mpg carburetor and machines that produce power from the spin of electrons? These devices, if they actually existed, would have to be bought and hidden away without ever entering the patent system. And the buyer (oil companies, is it?) would have to take the chance somebody else would patent the invention for which he paid millions.
  - nknight 15y ago
    Citation, please. I've never heard of compulsory licensing occurring in the US outside of government contracts and anti-trust settlements.
noja 15y ago
There's always the whole "we haven't invented a good way to recycle the 20 thousand dollar toxic battery" problem still to deal with.
- aidenn0 15y ago
  Cars currently have $50 toxic batteries, in them and yet the recycling rate is near unity for them. If we can manage to recycle something worth $50, surely we can recycle something that is more valuable.
  - anamax 15y ago
    > If we can manage to recycle something worth $50, surely we can recycle something that is more valuable. That doesn't follow. Lead-acid car batteries are profitable to recycle because of the chemistry costs, not the unit cost of the battery. So, what are the costs of recycling these batteries? (Note that the answer is in terms of $/pound.) How does that compare to the cost of using new materials? (Again, the answer is in terms of $/pound.)
    - onemoreact 15y ago
      Lithium is worth a lot more than lead so unless there is significant reason to think otherwise they are probably worth recycling.
      - anamax 15y ago
        > Lithium is worth a lot That doesn't tell us anything about the relatve costs of production and recycling lithium that was used in batteries, which happens to be the relevant question.

Torn 15y ago

It'll surely be patented and sat on for a while at a very high price. My bet is we'll need to wait $time_of_release + 10 years until we see things working out over traditional cars.

danmaz74 15y ago
It will be patented - yes. Sat on at a very high price - I don't think so. Even if you only think about maximizing profits, with a technology like this you would make much more money by creating a new market (mass produced electric cars) with lower margins and very big numbers than with high margins and very little numbers. On the other hand, if the technology required to mass produce this kind of batteries will be too new, it could take time to scale it and bring costs down. Let's hope it isn't too innovative.
tsotha 15y ago
You can't "sit on" patents. The whole point of the patent system is to get an idea out there so people can use it. As a patent holder you're required to license your invention for a reasonable amount (I'm not really sure how that's determined - probably in court). If you don't, a judge can put your invention in the public domain and give you nothing. The stories you hear about the 300 mpg carburetor and machines that produce power from the spin of electrons? These devices, if they actually existed, would have to be bought and hidden away without ever entering the patent system. And the buyer (oil companies, is it?) would have to take the chance somebody else would patent the invention for which he paid millions.
- nknight 15y ago
  Citation, please. I've never heard of compulsory licensing occurring in the US outside of government contracts and anti-trust settlements.

noja 15y ago

There's always the whole "we haven't invented a good way to recycle the 20 thousand dollar toxic battery" problem still to deal with.

aidenn0 15y ago
Cars currently have $50 toxic batteries, in them and yet the recycling rate is near unity for them. If we can manage to recycle something worth $50, surely we can recycle something that is more valuable.
- anamax 15y ago
  > If we can manage to recycle something worth $50, surely we can recycle something that is more valuable. That doesn't follow. Lead-acid car batteries are profitable to recycle because of the chemistry costs, not the unit cost of the battery. So, what are the costs of recycling these batteries? (Note that the answer is in terms of $/pound.) How does that compare to the cost of using new materials? (Again, the answer is in terms of $/pound.)
  - onemoreact 15y ago
    Lithium is worth a lot more than lead so unless there is significant reason to think otherwise they are probably worth recycling.
    - anamax 15y ago
      > Lithium is worth a lot That doesn't tell us anything about the relatve costs of production and recycling lithium that was used in batteries, which happens to be the relevant question.