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tedsgameApr 11, 2011
A bit too technical, but it did raise a question: if lead lead-acid batteries are so old in terms of efficiency and even conception, why do we still use them in cars so much?
gsydiggerApr 11, 2011
because lithium + petrol probably = explosion
stk198323Apr 11, 2011
TOO technical?
This was obviously a LOT dumber then it needed to. It doesn't answer ANY question at all, it only state what is the theoretical best composite for creating a battery but it never gets into the part of WHY it's better.
There is a whole damn lot more to batteries then simply x Tension and Y Capacity. Come battery can only operate in certain temperature range, humidity range, there is often a compromise between quality and longevity of a battery, cost of production, danger related to possible fire/explosion, can we charge them with a high current or not (a battery that can last 4 times longer isn't worth it if it takes a week to recharge...), etc.
This article does NOT in any way explain why Lithium is the best choice for MOST application in our current technology cycle. If you really want to read something actually simple enough yet a lot more complete, you can go to battery university, there is a whole damn lot more stuff to be learned there then in this article.
http://batteryuniversity.com/
spectecjrApr 11, 2011
@tedsgame - it's all about the current they can deliver in one shot - cold cranking amps. Leaf-acid wins here hands-down.
spectecjrApr 11, 2011
Damn phone. LEAD acid, not LEAF acid. And why does Digg Mobile not let you reply to comments directly? Grr.
iboxApr 11, 2011
There for a second I thought you were making up some new green technology. LOL
nerysApr 11, 2011
No its not about amps. its about COST and DURABILITY.
Lead acid is one of the WEAKER battery types around. Nicad can out amp leads anytime any place.
leads have the advantages as follows.
they deliver ENOUGH amps for the job
they can take a freaking BEATING and keep working
they are DIRT CHEAP to produce
they last a long time in this application (5-10 years is easy)
Lithium has MANY problems for a car starting battery.
First incredibly expensive to get the same "amps" both in starting amps and TOTAL AMPS
they are massively finicky to the point of down right DEADLY to charge if you do it wrong. they require complex charging methods and support electronics this also means EXPENSIVE
because of how they are charged you can not really "USE" them and "CHARGE" them at the same time very easily or cheaply.
NIMH would be a better option for a starter battery replacement but still rather expensive. it would however offer more capacity and last a lot longer.
stk198323Apr 11, 2011
This is a good argument but the main argument is reliability.
We could make a Li battery that can power a car, but remember how your laptop battery lost about half it,s capacity since 2 years ago? This happened when you kept your battery in a well ventilated, normal temperatures situation. Now imagine what would happen to a battery in a car, sometimes used in a +20°C environment and other time in a -10°C environment with humidity anywhere from 10 to 80%!
We could make a Li battery for your car, but under OPTIMAL condition it would last only about 2 years. A more realistic estimation would put it at 1 year only. Also, if the temperature would drop under -20°C there is a lot of chances your car just won't start.
In 4-6 years a regular car battery lose about 20% of it's capacity and this is the time when you need to consider replacing it. Lithium battery as you probably know, loose a lot more capacity... so we could use Li battery, but it would pretty much be a real pain in the ass.
nerysApr 11, 2011
well its not quite "that" bad. lithium batteries fail because of impurities and imperfections in construction.
this is why OEM batteries for your cell phone usually last a lot longer than cheap chinese knock offs.
well it also applies to SIZE. the LARGER you make the battery the less "impact" minor impurities have.
on the other hand with TINY cells (think little 100mah cells) the failure rate can hit 90%
so an EV battery pack will not be anywhere near as likely to encounter "issues" as a "starter battery" would.
the pain would be the cost. I don't like lithium because their lifespans are too short and their cost is way to high.
to make the "leaf" for example equitable against an E95 NIMH pack the leaf battery would either have to last 500,000 miles or longer (yeah right 150k is your lucky) OR it would have to cost $1250.
at its current $10,000 price tag this is not likely to happen anytime soon.
your far better off with NIMH. much more durable tolerant to abuse and much much cheaper and longer lived. it "MIGHT" actually live long enough to make its cost cheaper than the lead acid battery. maybe.
cryinlionApr 11, 2011
what's a library?
spaaron22Apr 11, 2011
Yeah, the jargon was confusing.
iboxApr 11, 2011
Not sure, I think I've got an app for that.