MIT research may spell end for the battery.

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2006/06/26/mit_research_may_spell_end_for_the_battery/ ^ | 6/26/06 | Hiawatha Bray

[cowtowney]

"outsourcing"

You're saying outsourcing is a free market concept that has not been successful?

[Wurlitzer]

"It doesn't matter. The research will be silenced and you will never hear another peep about it. It's happened in the past; I cannot give details."

It will not be silenced but there also is a chance it will not be implemented for a primary power source. The engineering trade journals have already (4 months ago) been touting the super caps for areas in a car that require heavy cables (windows, seats, etc). A small super cap can store enough charge to operate these devices on demand then charge at a current low enough to not require heavy conductors.

If a reasonable physical size vs capacity can be reached then, yes a very quick charging super capacitor could be a superior storage device in an automobile. They can also be recharged many times more than current battey technology.

[Lee'sGhost]

"think they're on the verge "


bbbbrrrrrrrrmmmmmpppppp

[evets]

[Lee'sGhost]

"If you accidentally short a nicad, it will become pretty hot from releasing its energy over few minutes. If this capacitor holds as much energy as a nicad, and develops a catastrophic leak or is shorted, the same energy will be released in a small fraction of a second, with explosion."

Cool!

[UCANSEE2]

The demand for power sources is much higher than it used to be.

It is not just cars that we are talking about.

It is digital camcorders and laptop PC's.

They will support and encourage the development of these supercapacitors and the auto industry won't be able to stop it.

[GSlob]

"They choose to "feel" rather than to think."
But... trying to think hurts! "Feeling" hurts, too, but less.

[SoCal Pubbie]

You beat me to it!

BTW, when I was in high school I once saw this strange car zooming down a So Cal freeway. I thought it was a Studebaker, but my older brother straightened me out and then introduced me to the story of the Tucker.

[mysterio]

Depends on which rung of the ladder you're on.

[UCANSEE2]

I grew up working with electronics.

I never saw a capacitor blow up.

I have seen transformers blow.

I have seen batteries blow.

I have seen a capacitor shorted, and it can weld metal together (and a car battery will do the same thing).

The LAPTOP that burned up did so because of CHEAP BATTERIES.
There is a limiting circuit that is put in the quality batteries that protects if from runaway. The cheaper ones don't have this feature (and cost only $30 instead of $50)

[aruanan]

Another false statement. it all depends on the voltage and the size of the carbon conductor

Look at the big arc lights that lighted the Columbian Exposition.

[UCANSEE2]

The supposed auto conspiracy against Tucker was not the main reason his company went under.

The main reason was the public didn't accept something 'different'.

Had the public purchased the cars in the quantity they purchased GM, FORD, etc., the big three could not have stopped him.

[reagan_fanatic]

LED technology is coming along very nicely. The color temperature of the white diodes is getting lower all the time. I think within a year or two, they will be almost indistinguishable from regular halogens

They're very close now. We carry LED flashlights where I work, and the beam is brilliant and almost pure white. We sell a six LED flashlight that runs on AA batteries that puts out just as bright a light as your normal flashlight does.

The era of the incandescent lightbulb is fast closing.

[Richard Kimball]

I've never seen a real one, just photos. The original two seat convertable he planned would STILL look fantastic cruising down the highway.

[Old Professer]

Who has that picture of the motherboard caps that were rupturing and causing failure?

[js1138]

The motherboard capacitors just oozed. Fatal to the motherboard, but not to bystanders.

[from occupied ga]

I never saw a capacitor blow up.

Neither have I; however, I have seen the aftermath of where a distribution substation capacitor short circuited internally - I am told it was a nice fire for a while.

[fortunecookie]

"UH-OH!!!"

Good news for us, bad news for the bunny! ;-)

[bagadonutz]

It doesn't matter. The research will be silenced and you will never hear another peep about it. It's happened in the past; I cannot give details.

[Centurion2000]

bump ... with a good enough battery you get laser and plasma weapons.