4 ms·
ICE engines outsource half of the reactants to the atmosphere, so this comparison isn't as useful as it appears at first.
by jeffbee 10mo ago
ICE engines outsource half of the reactants to the atmosphere, so this comparison isn't as useful as it appears at first.
- MobiusHorizons 10mo agoBatteries can make use of the atmosphere as well (eg aluminum air batteries/ or venting hydrogen in lead acid batteries) although I don’t know of any rechargeable chemistries off hand that use environmental oxygen. All that to say the trick is available for batteries even if the best current chemistries by mass density don’t make use of it.
- scott113341 10mo agoOne I'm familiar with (but don't know deeply about) is Iron-air batteries [1]. Form Energy [2], an interesting grid-storage startup uses them. They're not energy-dense whatsoever, but very cheap, which makes them economical for that application. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal%E2%80%93air_electrochemical_cell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal%E2%80%93air_electrochemi... [2]: https://formenergy.com/technology/battery-technology/ https://formenergy.com/technology/battery-technology/