DocM Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 2 new patents by Tesla for a hybrid battery EV, hybrid meaning a metal-air and a non-metal-air battery acting in a range extending mode similar to a series hybrid. PhysOrg article: http://phys.org/news/2013-09-tesla-patent-hybrid-battery-evs.html http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220130187591%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20130187591&RS=DN/20130187591 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220130181511%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20130181511&RS=DN/20130181511 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicane-UK Veteran Posted September 23, 2013 Veteran Share Posted September 23, 2013 Fascinating. I can't wait to see what other models and inventions they come out with over the coming years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted September 23, 2013 Member Share Posted September 23, 2013 Interesting stuff but have they ever shown it to work in real life? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted September 23, 2013 Author Share Posted September 23, 2013 Metal-air has been demonstrated before in the lab, but as yet not mass produced. Tesla seems ready to fix that. Using dual power systems is known as a range-extended series hybrid, and that's already been in the market as the Chevy Volt and a few others. Most people expected the series hybrids next gen iteration to be a mix of fuel cell and LiION, but Tesla opted for two battery types instead. Makes sense as metal-air is potentially very cheap to produce - one version uses aluminum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CygnusOrion Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Too bad Tesla cars are unaffordable by the average Joe. farmeunit 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 Metal -air batteries are part of Tesla's strategy to change that. They can be very cheap to make, and with EV's batteries are about 1/3 the cost of the car. They're targeting under $30k for the model after the Tesla X crossover, and ~$30 is about the average car cost in 2013. After that supposedly comes Tesla trucks. As an example of how big metal-air could be, a disposable aluminum-air has been tested that could last 20,000 km in a compact car. Rechargeable metal-air is the holy grail. georgevella 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted September 24, 2013 Member Share Posted September 24, 2013 As an example of how big metal-air could be, a disposable aluminum-air has been tested that could last 20,000 km in a compact car. I didn't know that. That is like, wow! I can see why it's a big thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted September 25, 2013 Author Share Posted September 25, 2013 Yup, but I doubt they'd make one that big. A tiny rechargeable M-A would be more useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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