Re: hollow laughter
> Best Li battery - 234Wh/kg
> Petrol - almost 13,000 Wh/kg
That actually doesn't matter. Actually that's not true. It does matter, but it isn't the blocker issue for practical EVs. We get nowhere near 100% efficiency from an ICE even at the flywheel. Then we lose a whole bunch more through the transmission and drivetrain. Even HCCI is only 50% thermally efficient (don't get me wrong, that is brilliant) but those figures are starting with petrol, not crude, so it isn't true well to wheel figures which need to account for transport and refining. It is really hard to do apples Vs apples, certainly not using those two figures.
What currently hurts EVs for range is simply recharge time. If they can get the fast charges to the point where it takes 10 minutes and gives you another 300km, suddenly that plays nicely with fatigue management. I think that is definitely possible and not a ridiculous compromise in most use cases. Alternatively, if manufacturers can agree on a standard then we might even see swap and go battery packs (like we have for BBQ LPG cylinders). That will need machinery to disconnect, swap, then fit the new one. Whilst it'll never be as light as an ICE (all other things equal), having more flexibility over where the weight is put can really help with the dynamics to counter some of the weight penalty. The glass isn't always half empty.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
