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It seems you're confusing the range of the vehicle at full charge with eventual need to replace the battery. The article is not particularly clear on that, but

by jcr 12y ago

It seems you're confusing the range of the vehicle at full charge with eventual need to replace the battery. The article is not particularly clear on that, but the ComputerWorld article I linked to gives a few more details.

gambiting 12y ago
From what I understand,the battery is non-rechargeable, so you can only drive 1800km until you have to replace it completely,no?
- jcr 12y ago
  The Aluminum-Air batteries are rechargeable, but they wear out faster than lithium-ion batteries. Eventually, both Aluminum-Air and Lithium-Ion batteries will wear out and need to be replaced, but the Aluminum-Air batteries need to be replaced more often since they wear out faster. From the ComputerWorld article: > "The recharge of the aluminum-air [battery] is user-friendly and consists of refilling water and replacing aluminum when depleted," a spokesperson for Alcoa said in an email response to Computerworld. "The water refill is an easy task that can be performed by using tap water on average every one or two months according to mileage driven." The battery's aluminum replacement is also a "quick operation" that will be performed at periodic maintenance checks at a local service station on average once a year according to mileage driven, the spokesperson added.
  - BugBrother 12y ago
    Uh, Aluminium/air batteries are one time use (not "rechargeable", rather replaceable) or there is major new chemistry. See my other comment re Al smelting and energy/CO2. Edit: This is discussed in the previous thread, abalone posted a link to it.
- masklinn 12y ago
  According to http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9248966/Electric_car_battery_tech_lets_you_go_1_000_miles_between_charges http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9248966/Electric_car_..., recharging the battery is "just" replacing the aluminum plates and topping up the water. And note that there's a classical Li-Ion battery, so the usage scenario seems to be mostly urban users with short commutes (on the Li-Ion, possibly slightly longer on the metal-air battery) with the occasional long trip eating into the metal-air battery.

by jcr 12y ago

gambiting 12y ago

From what I understand,the battery is non-rechargeable, so you can only drive 1800km until you have to replace it completely,no?

jcr 12y ago
The Aluminum-Air batteries are rechargeable, but they wear out faster than lithium-ion batteries. Eventually, both Aluminum-Air and Lithium-Ion batteries will wear out and need to be replaced, but the Aluminum-Air batteries need to be replaced more often since they wear out faster. From the ComputerWorld article: > "The recharge of the aluminum-air [battery] is user-friendly and consists of refilling water and replacing aluminum when depleted," a spokesperson for Alcoa said in an email response to Computerworld. "The water refill is an easy task that can be performed by using tap water on average every one or two months according to mileage driven." The battery's aluminum replacement is also a "quick operation" that will be performed at periodic maintenance checks at a local service station on average once a year according to mileage driven, the spokesperson added.
- BugBrother 12y ago
  Uh, Aluminium/air batteries are one time use (not "rechargeable", rather replaceable) or there is major new chemistry. See my other comment re Al smelting and energy/CO2. Edit: This is discussed in the previous thread, abalone posted a link to it.
masklinn 12y ago
According to http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9248966/Electric_car_battery_tech_lets_you_go_1_000_miles_between_charges http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9248966/Electric_car_..., recharging the battery is "just" replacing the aluminum plates and topping up the water. And note that there's a classical Li-Ion battery, so the usage scenario seems to be mostly urban users with short commutes (on the Li-Ion, possibly slightly longer on the metal-air battery) with the occasional long trip eating into the metal-air battery.