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Originally Posted by JRTJH
My son was "deep into R/C car racing when he was in high school. One of the biggest drawbacks was range. His cars had replaceable batteries and his "pit stops" weren't to "glug 20 gallons into the tank" but to change out the battery and maybe adjust a servo. Multiple, interchangeable batteries worked for his "toy cars"... They also work for my cordless tools...
I wonder is there's any thought on having "exchange batteries" so you stop at a fuel station/battery station, pull out the 300 pound discharged one, plug in a 300 pound fully charged one, all in about 4 or 5 minutes, just like "pumping 20 gallons....
I'd suspect a lot of people would prefer not to exchange their "personal battery" so, sort of like the "Blue Flame Propane tank exchange", go pick up a "used full one" and when it's empty, pay for a full one and keep "grilling" or "driving"...
It'll take all the auto manufacturers to "standardize their battery systems" but all the flashlight and portable radio manufacturers did that during the 8 transistor radio era, back in the '60's....
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I'm a fan of the British show "Top Gear". Years ago they did a segment on an electric racing car that had quick change batteries. After thrashing it around the track for a while it caught fire and burned to the ground. Just a week or so ago the same show did a segment on an electric rally car. It was crazy fast with about a 20 min battery life.
Electric vehicles have been around for over a century. Electric trains and trolleys are very efficient at moving people and freight. IMO the battery technology just isn't there yet. Running a battery operated car to me would be like everyone's house using a generator instead of the grid.
Ok, I have my helment on, all the "Green" folks can throw rocks now.
