Batteries
Batteries have been the key driver for electrification. The lagging sales of EVs in the United States show that we need more solutions.
As an engineer, I am always fascinated by the work of researchers. A key aspect of their work is risk. They need to have a huge amount of knowledge and collect even more data to carry out projects. Despite this, the results may be disappointing. This requires real courage and risk-taking.
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I am an investor and engineer, and I am known to be very conservative when diving into projects.
As an EV owner, I have a few key acknowledgements. I also considered deploying chargers; however, I faced many issues.
Safety is key. While it is known that gas is a highly flammable substance, electrical engineers agree that solid-state batteries present far more issues.
Materials like lithium and magnesium were once used as flashes to take photographs. They are not just flammable; they burn quickly.
Therefore, it is surprising that we pack them together. There was even a fire near Moss Landing, California. Rules that require keeping smaller containers at a distance - like 2 ft x 2 ft containers kept 6 ft away - may help deploy them more safely in retail parking lots.
It is also surprising that we attempted to copy the refueling process of gas stations. Replacing batteries in the form of smaller rods is so much simpler. There are already robotic carts that lift up and carry away entire cars. Replacing a battery could be as simple as accessing it under the car at a battery swap station.
Still, this infrastructure costs money. Conventional refueling requires gas stations that cost between $500k to $1m. Leveraging the existing electric grid seemed useful. So much electricity was saved by replacing old refrigerators and light bulbs that we now even have enough for some cars.
Many places, like California, require special rules for electric grids. Upgrading and updating them has become an issue.
We believe we will use gas or plug-in hybrid cars for a long time due to the cost savings offered by competing technologies. Still, reducing smog in large cities is lucrative. We will probably see many innovations emerging from the large, congested cities of China.