Battery tech?

[shannimal]

When are we going to get some new ground breaking kick ass cells? I remember reading about some nano carbon tube stuff seems several years ago by now. Anyone know of new technology that may affect us in the near future? Additionally I believed those batteries almost had some sort of flash charging capabilities. Like charge with the quickness. What's the scoop?


Shannimal

[Bladefx]

I doubt we will see any real advancement in batteries in the near future
Oil companies decide when the next advancement occurs

[shannimal]

Originally Posted by Bladefx

I doubt we will see any real advancement in batteries in the near future
Oil companies decide when the next advancement occurs

That's damn right my friend. I guess I should ask...has anyone heard of a technology leak that would benefit the entire world before the oil companies buy the technology and suppress it from man kind? What a damn shame :-(

[desertstalker]

Gotta love the conspiracy theories. there are several improvements in LiPo performance being worked on currently. Most of them are however rather expensive and aimed at electric vehicles (so expect the first cells to be cylindrical and quite large).

RC is a long way down the list of priorities for companies in this area.

[poor_red_neck]

While I don't buy in to the whole oil company conspiracy suppressing battery technology... I'd say it has more to do with the manufacturing costs.
If you're referring to the carbon nano tubes specifically, I don't think there is an efficient way of producing them in mass quantity (carbon nanotubes that is). Same goes for all the newest and greatest battery technologies. No problem to make a few in a lab, but to mass produce them cost effectively (even at the high cost for early adopters) is difficult.

Now there's battery theories using some kind of bubble or foam or something. Supposed to blow everything else out of the water.

Seems almost like the research is going too fast, so by the time some "latest and greatest" comes along, they give up on it because of something else new and better.

[desertstalker]

A lot of the recent "breakthroughs" have proven to be too difficult to mass produce. So they were never developed into commercial products (presumably there was no profit in it).

This could change at any time though if new manufacturing tech becomes available (or the older stuff gets cheaper).

[scottyay]

Hydrogen ? I love the power of my electrics, but dammit I like the idea of filling my helis up from a bottle of water. I don't think the oil companies would appreciate it though.

[dankcincy]

So some people don't believe that an industry as large and powerful as the the oil industry would'nt be willing/capable of suppressing a technology that threatens their profits in a major way? Interesting

[xspare]

Originally Posted by scottyay

Hydrogen ? I love the power of my electrics, but dammit I like the idea of filling my helis up from a bottle of water. I don't think the oil companies would appreciate it though.

Electric or hydrogen doesn't much matter to ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, and Royal Dutch Shell: the energy used to generate both is still largely derived from fossil fuels at some level.

Hopefully renewable energy can make enough of a difference that my children's children will get to grow old in a better world.

[youturnjason]

Lithium-air will most likely be the next step. Using air as the cathode is really the only way we can improve battery life significantly beyond what we have now. They plan to have them in some electric cars in 2020 but whether they can be made at a small size for RC is yet to be seen.

[xspare]

Originally Posted by dankcincy

So some people don't believe that an industry as large and powerful as the the oil industry would'nt be willing/capable of suppressing a technology that threatens their profits in a major way? Interesting

What good is even a perfect battery technology without the energy to put in it?

I've happily used BP Solar's photovoltaic panels to charge lead-acid batteries that wear out before the panels do. Yet that technology is still not economical at record oil prices and after almost 200 years of research.

Our biggest renewable energy right now is burning wood ffs... followed by hydroelectric.

[xspare]

Double post