The EV game changer?

"When this technology gets mature enough to be 'go to market' ready, it will be the game changer we have all been waiting for."

For those doubters who think the electric vehicle (EV) is going to hit the market with like a dud with a thud - maybe not. I have said for years now, the real Golden Fleece in the developing EV market, will be a new technology battery. Why? With the lithium batteries which are used now in hybrids or EVs, getting 350 miles out of a charge is about the end of the rainbow. To get something with about 1,000 miles out of charge, as well as having the charging time cut way down, that would be the cat's pajamas for this industry.

The aluminum ion battery. Already being tested in small batteries, but the big prize will be if they can be scaled up to handle cars and trucks. How so? Many reasons. First off, they are cleaner to make, AND can be easily recycled. Not so with current EV batteries. Also, they charge much faster. That is the good news. Faster charging = more power required. Note to Slo Joe - remember that when you keep shutting down our energy grid, in the hopes of having 100% green energy. This could be a major roadblock with millions of cars being charged at the same time.

Here is why this new technology is so very important to the success of the EV program. Current EV batteries are made with cobalt, nickel, and manganese. Besides being very dirty and dangerous to mine (with lots of externalities of production), they cannot all be recycled. Some of what is in the current lithium batteries can be recycled - some cannot. Bottom line? To "save the planet" from carbon emissions, we might end up poisoning it instead.

Ever since the hybrids first came on the scene (hello, Prius), the battery issue has been the issue. Should you ever need to get your Prius battery replaced, get ready to take out a second mortgage on your house. Very, very pricey. However - to have a battery which is cheaper, lighter, cleaner, and has a much faster recharge time - now we are talking. And we will not have to worry about destroying the environment, as well as harming the young folk in the Congo, while they mine cobalt for the batteries in our EVs.

This is it folks. When this technology gets mature enough to be "go to market" ready, it will be the game changer we have all been waiting for. What will be next - electric planes? Guess what? They are already here (to a small degree). Now we just need to make sure we have enough juice to power (recharge) everything.