The Battery Battle

Energy Storage

Last Post by Old_Scientist 19 minutes ago

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Toodles

(@toodles)

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Joined: 3 years ago

Posts: 2056

Topic starter 26/08/2025 9:52 am

Had I money that I wanted to invest in ‘The Battery of the Future’, (I haven’t, this is purely hypothetical and out of interest in others’ views please) where would I start investigating before investing?

Almost daily, announcements are being made about new developments in rechargeable battery technology; with lithium out front in terms of of capacity / weight but somewhat less so in terms of safety and social responsibilities, other runners are beginning to look more and more promising as far as I can see. Aluminium (yes, good old British spelling please!) looking very promising and if Graphene manufacturing costs can be reduced, many new formulations look very promising. I suppose various types will be needed to satisfy different types of application but they all share the same interests in being cheaper, lighter, higher capacity and longer life, ability to charge more quickly, be socially acceptable etc. etc. etc.

All these developments are very exciting but they make me think, (After having had fingers burnt when investing in a wind turbine project that collapsed when the company floundered.) which battery design is likely to flourish? Trying to back a winner in this race looks like being a very risky business!

I also wonder why there is so much range anxiety for EV batteries now, after all, I think that a smaller battery could still outrun the average driver’s bladder constitution / safe driving duration and would result in a lighter vehicle and longer tyre life - just a muse on my behalf! Regards, Toodles.

Toodles, he heats his home with cold draughts and cooks his food with magnets.

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Old_Scientist

(@old_scientist)

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Joined: 1 year ago

Posts: 218

26/08/2025 10:20 am

Posted by: @toodles

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I also wonder why there is so much range anxiety for EV batteries now, after all, I think that a smaller battery could still outrun the average driver’s bladder constitution / safe driving duration and would result in a lighter vehicle and longer tyre life - just a muse on my behalf! Regards, Toodles.

I agree. I think a lot of it comes down to people's resistance to change, and an expectation of an experience similar to what they had before with an ICE vehicle. The notion that they cannot just pull into a service station and fill up instantly adds to this. Providing there is a free charger available, I see nothing wrong with the notion of plugging in for 20mins whilst one stretches their legs and uses the facilities. We should all be taking regular breaks when driving longer distances.

Developments in rapid charging will certainly help as it reduces the inconvenience factor if you can usefully top up in 15mins as opposed to 1h, and should free up charging slots if people are not having to stay plugged in for longer periods of time.

One of the biggest obstacles to EV take up I see is properties where a home charger is not practical so the user is restricted to more expensive commercial charging, negating much of the cost benefits of going electric. If I were a renter, I'm not sure I'd want an electric vehicle either. Would my landlord be willing to install a charger, and what happens when I have to move (all factors outside of my control)

Samsung 12kW gen6 ASHP with 50L volumiser and all new large radiators. 7.2kWp solar (south facing), Tesla PW3 (13.5kW)
Solar generation completely offsets ASHP usage annually. We no longer burn ~1600L of kerosene annually.

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