Ok, Not Similar

[Rob Croson]

Yes, I understand that it can be used as part of a larger program to remove lithium. (I think I saw an artcile about someone using salt?) By itself, it doesn't require the removal of lithium. People that are heavily invested in it can just keep using it, albeit probably with some modifications. Given that some people (i.e. Tesla) are heavily invested in lithium, they could potentially adopt this new tech with their existing lithium setups and increase the power density/safety/longevity of their existing tech much faster than people can bring new tech online.

We've been seeing miracle battery announcements for years and years, though, and none of them have really materialized. The best we've gotten is quick charging the existing lithium ion batteries. When one of these miracle batteries actually makes it into mass production powering a few thousand cars, then we'll see what happens.

 

[Made in USA]

House passed autonomous vehicle bill. Needs Senate and President before it becomes law.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3293889-house-passes-self-driving-bill?uprof=45

 

[Made in USA]

France passed law eliminating all gas and oil production in France and territories by 2040

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3293895-france-drafts-law-end-oil-gas-production-2040

 

[Frim]

I recently bought a new Chevy Spark with OnStar. They sent me an e-mail the other day giving me a "history" for the last month. Said I went over 80 a few times (in a 70 mph zone), braked hard a few times, and drove a bunch of miles. Tire pressure ok, etc..

They also tried to get me to sign up for All-State Insurance. I bet my "history" would be used against me if I had switched to them.
Is "Big Brother" also watching me? Now I know Congress determines some of the capabilities of the On-Board Diagnostics Computer and I wonder if the Elio being an AutoCycle will need to be compliant with this, or if they are allowed to be more like a motorcycle in this regard?

I'm waiting for the day when they just sent me speeding tickets in the mail automatically and then threaten to shut off my vehicle until I pay. I figure that will happen in the next 5 to 10 years. I don't think I'm being paranoid, just realistic.

How about disabling your car for erratic driving? Hard Stops? quick lane changes? Overspeed? Expired insurance? Late payment? A real boon to auto repos.

 

[Ty]

Think of the changes when and IF batteries get to the point where they can charge in under 15 minutes and offer enough power for a 300 mile range. I can see battery power replacing gas power in a lot of applications. We've already seen batteries take over a lot of places where we didn't think we'd see them. Drills were the first real tool to go battery power and now it's hard to find a corded drill that will really out drill a battery powered one. My Dewalt with a spare battery will drill longer than I can and can keep one battery charged while I use the 2nd. I never thought I'd see circular saws go battery powered but here they are. Cars were getting less than 50 miles per charge and now can get over 300.

Just thinking here... Would there be a way to have, say, a capacitor in the car that can be charged quickly? Use that capacitor to charge the battery and run the car for the first little while of driving. I'm thinking a capacitor charges really quickly for those mid-trip fill-ups. I read that a 1Kwh capacitor runs about $200. Tesla has a 7Kwh battery. It seems you'd be able to get a quick charge of the capacitor - talking seconds instead of minutes here - and then be on your way. Underway, the capacitor could bleed all it's energy into the battery over the next several minutes saving you time just sitting at a charging station. Just an idea.

 

[Rob Croson]

Your numbers are off. By a lot.

Tesla Model S Battery: 60-100 kWh lithium-ion, depending on your options.

Also, even capacitor charging time is limited by the amount of power your power supply can deliver. Charging times for batteries are often limited by the capabilities of the power supply. Capacitors would be no different.

Not sure how accurate this site is: https://www.supercaptech.com/battery-vs-supercapacitor
They list the price of a supercapacitor as Cost per kWh: 10,000 €

 

[Rob Croson]

France passed law eliminating all gas and oil production in France and territories by 2040

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3293895-france-drafts-law-end-oil-gas-production-2040

That is not correct. They have not passed the law yet, they have only proposed it to their senate. It has not been enacted into law.

Also:

"The decision is, however, largely symbolic because France produces only about 6 million barrels of hydrocarbons a year, representing about 1 percent of its consumption."​

 

[Made in USA]

Hey Rob, thanks. I was wrong about France passing the law. My mistake. An interesting question is how they plan on refueling Jets, both commercial and military. Will they import it all? I haven't seen many military vehicles that are battery powered yet (except drones) but maybe they will convert some to hydrogen?

 

[Rob Croson]

They are not proposing to completely ban the use of hydrocarbons. They are banning the exploration and production (i.e. refining) of hydrocarbons by 2040, banning the sale of new gas/diesel vehicles by 2040, and be "carbon neutral" by 2050. You could still operate existing gas/diesel vehicles. I would guess that "vehicles" would be defined as consumer level vehicles, and heavy haulers, industrial machinery, and aircraft.

The linked Reuters article has a bit more info.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-f...-oil-and-gas-production-by-2040-idUSKCN1BH1AQ

 

[Made in USA]

London transportation regulators mandated that all private-hire vehicles must be capable of zero emissions by 2020.
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3294361-uber-wants-london-fleet-go-electric-competitor-shut-regulators