Startup Envia battery promises to slash EV costs

CNET ^ | February 26, 2012 | Martin LaMonica

[Bob Buchholz]

Envia Systems' batteries are being evaluated by a number of automakers, including its largest investor General Motors, according to CEO Atul Kapadia.

General Motors: AKA The American Taxpayers

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

:: cutting EV battery pack prices in half in three or four years. ::

Lower cost is not what’s needed. It’s higher capacity.

[Hodar]

Say they make the most fan-tabulous battery that has ever been known to man - so what? How do they propose to charge this battery?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t we still dependant upon foreign (and generally hostile) counties for our energy needs? How about finding more efficient generators? Or developing LENR or new technologies to meet the demands for energy that are fast approaching?

Where is the research into Thorium Reactors? At least, there is something we have a high degree of confidence in seeing a return for our investment.

[Red Badger]

Its tests have also shown that its batteries perform well after 400 cycles, Kapadia said.

Well, that's sold me...........not...........

[quantim]

Do they come with fire extinguishers?

[UCANSEE2]

Lower cost is not what’s needed. It’s higher capacity.

I want both.

[UCANSEE2]

How do they propose to charge this battery?

Well, you put a fan blade on a generator and mount it on the back trunklid.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

Cost won’t matter to the target niche market buyers...smug, trust-find, whities.

[matt04]

How long before the layoffs and/or bankruptcy?

[org.whodat]

All they need is a few billion of your tax dollars and in five or ten years they may have something.

[Jack of all Trades]

What are the chances they’re going to apply for a huge government loan, pay themselves lavish salaries, and go bankrupt?

Nah, couldn’t happen.

[traderrob6]

What’s the average distance and electric can travel without a recharge?

[Da Coyote]

“How do they propose to charge this battery?”

Peter Gleick thinks that once you get the car going, you can just stick a hand held generator connected to a pinwheel out the window...wire it to the batteries, and you can go forever.

[wbill]

I've read some interesting articles about batteries that use carbon foam on the insides. The increased surface area makes for a greater electric capacity.

But all that aside, it still doesn't matter. The electricity still needs to be produced, somewhere (and within the constraints of an aging infrastructure and rampany NIMBYism). And, it still needs to be delivered to the batteries, somehow.

Inasmuch as they wish they could, greenies can't get around those pesky laws of physics. Or, their own self-immolation via enviro-worship.

[babygene]

Even the lithium ion battery in your laptop is a fire hazard because of the energy density.

[pabianice]

Several pictures of Envia Motors EV Drive-train:

The White House is planning to grant the company $456M in taxpayer money for product development.

[taildragger]

I hate to get all Beckinstine on you all, but we need to research :

* Everyone on their Board
* All their "Partners"
* And how they are connected to DOE and or the Obamatons, and or their Green Soro's Allies / Organizations.

[reg45]

I doubt that 10% of the people here at FR know what a Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR) is and probably less than 1% of the general population. For those of you who don't: LFTR.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Or maybe the car can harness static electricity to keep the battery running, as Ayn Rand imagined 55 years ago.