Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2017/10/05/adding-a-bit-of-asphalt-speeds.html
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Asphalt. Is there anything it can’t do?
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Please let this be the result of a ‘chocolate and peanut butter’ like accident…
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“So, what made you think to add asphalt?”
“Well, I had just finished another unsuccessful test of the prototype when I threw the damn thing at the ground as hard as I could…”
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Personally I don’t care about fast charging. I’d rather have a long lasting charge.
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But tell me how this will help Galaxy Notes catch fire.
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Testing revealed another significant benefit: The carbon mitigated the formation of lithium dendrites. These mossy deposits invade a battery’s electrolyte. If they extend far enough, they short-circuit the anode and cathode and can cause the battery to fail, catch fire or explode. But the asphalt-derived carbon prevents any dendrite formation.
Seems to do the opposite. Guess that means we have less schadenfreude to look forward to.
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If you could safely recharge an electric car in five minutes that would be on par with the time to refuel a gasoline vehicle. If this tech works in large capacity cells this could be the tipping point.
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Does that mean that I am going to start getting flyers in the mail from asphalt companies saying that they can speed up my batteries for $325.00 with a price break for resurfacing my drive at the same time?
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“You want to add an oil-based ingredient to your batteries? That sounds like a great idea!” - Oil Company CEO
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Super-fast charging isn’t the game changer many think it is for electric cars. Decent electric cars cover 99% of daily driving ranges on a single charge and are recharged overnight. En-route charging isn’t required nearly as much as people think it is. They just are used to it because that’s the way ICE vehicles work.
If we had electric cars only, and someone wanted to market an ICE vehicle, we’d be all like “Waddya mean we have to stop during the day to refuel? Why can’t I just refuel at home overnight? And why would I want carry around a tank of highly flammable liquid? Think of the fire risk! And what’s the stinky stuff coming out of that pipe at the back? And why does it make so much noise? And why is it so slow?”
Musk has also demonstrated a battery swap capability on a standard Tesla that is faster than refueling an ICE. But it hasn’t been rolled out because there isn’t really much demand for it. I believe demonstrated rapid refueling capability was/is a condition of some of the zero-emissions subsidies on offer in California. On the relatively rare occasions Tesla drivers need en-route refueling they use the supercharging stations. Many Tesla owners presumably also have second ICE vehicles that they can use for extended travel.
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Maybe but I still think another 100 miles of range is worth some extra time to charge.
Perception is everything!
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I bought a used Nissan Leaf about two years ago. I use it as my primary means to get to and from work. You’re right, for my daily commuter needs it covers most of what I need to do. It’s only the weekends if I want to travel where I run into issues. But that is why my wife has an ICE vehicle.
I do live your comment.
And this sort of development just has me excited.
Exactly. It bridges that mental gap.
Not having to perform something like a battery swap is a lot less complex and feels a lot less invasive. The infrastructure of each swap station having to keep and guarantee enough extra batteries to have fresh rotating stock for all makes of electric cars sounds like a bit of a stretch over just having standardized plugs and a high amperage power supply. It standardizes where there is a standard, the input.
It would also make large trucks that much closer to being viable electric as well. Not having to keep spare batteries for each vehicle in your supply chain is great. Charging during load and unload speeds things up. And being able to recharge quickly along the route solves issues with longer haul trucking.
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If I had money to invest, I know where I’d like to put it. That, and marijuana pharmaceuticals.
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What if you had an IC engine to provide electricty for long trips that was in a trailer? You wouldn’t need to carry around an engine on a daily basis, but long trips would still be possible by simply connecting the trailer.
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The range extenders are actually smaller than that. They would drop into the trunk. Think a gen-set for a camping set-up.
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My favorite electric vehicle does not need to recharge its batteries. It just uses a very long wire:
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Yeah but what about when your teenager uses up 95% of a charge driving around with her friends in the evening and then doesn’t plug it in. When you’re trying to drive to work in the morning wouldn’t that 5 minute charge cycle sound good?
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