Ty
Elio Addict
Tessa likes the Lithium Ion batteries well enough to put 990 pounds of them in their cars. Well, there is the occasional fire... and there HAS to be a better way to get power...
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E85, Flex Fuel Engine?
- Thread starter Farm Boy
- Start date
I wouldn't have minded sacrifing ONLY 2% to 7% MPG, either, but when my truck when from 12.4 to 9.5 in city MPG, I would say that was SIGNIFICANTLY more than the 2% to 7% margine, wouldn't you? Yes, it was nearly 50 cents per gallon cheaper (why I bought it) but you GET what you PAY for.
Lil4X
Elio Addict
Then there's Tesla's outsourcing the Li-Ions to China. Well, good - mess up their environment with all those airborne metallic particles produced during manufacture of Lithium-ions, including Cu, Al, Fe, and Ni that when inhaled can do a lot of damage to your lungs. Mr. Musk, rather than addressing the pollution problem caused by manufacturing batteries, simply exported it to China and Indonesia.
Lithium-ion batteries can have significant heating problems. I use a number of large, 14.4v, 50W/hr Li-ions in my pro camcorder, and they do get warm in heavy use. So far, at least, I haven't experienced a "thermal runaway" (better known as "fire"), but I can see how it can happen. My current (sorry) problem is that I get about three years' use out of them, and replacements are around $275-$400 each. Six is the minimum I carry with me on a shoot, so they can get a little expensive.
A few years ago at a large broadcast-industry trade show a company introduced their fuel cell to replace the large Anton-Bauer "brick" Ni-Cad batteries that ran about $500 each. Jadoo (Hindi for "magic", they said) built a little fuel cell that was about the size of the Anton-Bauer "brick", but it had a number of advantages, including cost, weight, and capacity. It would hang there on the back of a camera rig, happily chuffing little puffs of steam as the reactive chemicals in the power cell made hydrogen that was then combined with available oxygen from the air to produce electricity and a little exhaust steam. It was silent, efficient, and would run for an hour or so - about 30% longer than a Ni-Cad brick battery, but could be "refueled" in seconds by changing the hydrogen generator canister - a little container slightly smaller than a pudding-cup.
The original Jadoo fuel cell power pack, on A-B "brick" battery mount.
It seemed an answered prayer for videographers and photojournalists - available power just about anywhere with sufficient wattage to keep a hungry camcorder well-fed and humming. The trouble was, like most great technological leaps forward, it was largely vaporware. Jadoo discovered it's a long way from prototype to regular production, and never quite made the leap. After languishing for several years, a Swedish company, SiGNa Chemistry bought the design and has turned the idea into a production item, introduced as the PowerTrekk, that may well solve the need for remote power for phones, laptops, ipads, and the like for some applications - with fuel from a water tap, ditch, or tidal pool. No, the output isn't sufficient to run more demanding devices, but it's a start.
Hideous green is one of four colors in which the PowerTrekk is available.
A tablespoon of water on the reactive chemical canister inside, and the device - about three times the size of your phone - powers up converting salt (sodium chloride) and sand (silicon dioxide) to electrical power. While you may not want to drag it around in your pocket, it will recharge your phone, laptop, or other device from the fuel cell and "buffer" battery in an hour or so. Cost is reasonable - "around" $175 US. Fuel cartridges (PowerPUKKs) are about $3.50 each, sold in 3-packs with a shelf life of about two years.
It's not for everyone - one PowerPUKK will fuel the device for about two hours - for about $3.50. Fortunately, the built-in "buffer" battery will store the output of the fuel cell for later use as needed. But if you're a back-country hiker or adventurer, it's pretty cool to be able to recharge - day or night - wherever you are.
No, it won't power your Elio Electric yet, but they're getting closer - the PowerTrekk produces about four watts - plenty for charging phones and laptops. It will charge connected devices at about the same rate as your home's 110vac. The current market is for cell phone and computer users who are off the grid - or those wanting to carry a backup battery with them that can recharge itself.
Just add water.
Lithium-ion batteries can have significant heating problems. I use a number of large, 14.4v, 50W/hr Li-ions in my pro camcorder, and they do get warm in heavy use. So far, at least, I haven't experienced a "thermal runaway" (better known as "fire"), but I can see how it can happen. My current (sorry) problem is that I get about three years' use out of them, and replacements are around $275-$400 each. Six is the minimum I carry with me on a shoot, so they can get a little expensive.
A few years ago at a large broadcast-industry trade show a company introduced their fuel cell to replace the large Anton-Bauer "brick" Ni-Cad batteries that ran about $500 each. Jadoo (Hindi for "magic", they said) built a little fuel cell that was about the size of the Anton-Bauer "brick", but it had a number of advantages, including cost, weight, and capacity. It would hang there on the back of a camera rig, happily chuffing little puffs of steam as the reactive chemicals in the power cell made hydrogen that was then combined with available oxygen from the air to produce electricity and a little exhaust steam. It was silent, efficient, and would run for an hour or so - about 30% longer than a Ni-Cad brick battery, but could be "refueled" in seconds by changing the hydrogen generator canister - a little container slightly smaller than a pudding-cup.
The original Jadoo fuel cell power pack, on A-B "brick" battery mount.
It seemed an answered prayer for videographers and photojournalists - available power just about anywhere with sufficient wattage to keep a hungry camcorder well-fed and humming. The trouble was, like most great technological leaps forward, it was largely vaporware. Jadoo discovered it's a long way from prototype to regular production, and never quite made the leap. After languishing for several years, a Swedish company, SiGNa Chemistry bought the design and has turned the idea into a production item, introduced as the PowerTrekk, that may well solve the need for remote power for phones, laptops, ipads, and the like for some applications - with fuel from a water tap, ditch, or tidal pool. No, the output isn't sufficient to run more demanding devices, but it's a start.
Hideous green is one of four colors in which the PowerTrekk is available.
A tablespoon of water on the reactive chemical canister inside, and the device - about three times the size of your phone - powers up converting salt (sodium chloride) and sand (silicon dioxide) to electrical power. While you may not want to drag it around in your pocket, it will recharge your phone, laptop, or other device from the fuel cell and "buffer" battery in an hour or so. Cost is reasonable - "around" $175 US. Fuel cartridges (PowerPUKKs) are about $3.50 each, sold in 3-packs with a shelf life of about two years.
It's not for everyone - one PowerPUKK will fuel the device for about two hours - for about $3.50. Fortunately, the built-in "buffer" battery will store the output of the fuel cell for later use as needed. But if you're a back-country hiker or adventurer, it's pretty cool to be able to recharge - day or night - wherever you are.
No, it won't power your Elio Electric yet, but they're getting closer - the PowerTrekk produces about four watts - plenty for charging phones and laptops. It will charge connected devices at about the same rate as your home's 110vac. The current market is for cell phone and computer users who are off the grid - or those wanting to carry a backup battery with them that can recharge itself.
Just add water.
karl
Elio Addict
Edward
Elio Addict
Sounds pretty cool. Fuel cells are the future, but unfortunately are still largely in the future. I'm sure there is more to that fuel cell than described. it seems to me that if salt, sand, and water combined to produce electricity, the beach wouldn't be a very fun place to be!A few yeare ago at a large broadcast-industry trade show a company introduced their fuel cell to replace the large Anton-Bauer "brick" Ni-Cad batteries that ran about $500 each. Jadoo (Hindi for "magic", they said) built a little fuel cell that was about the size of the Anton-Bauer "brick", but it had a number of advantages, including cost, weight, and capacity. It would hang there on the back of a camera rig, happily chuffing little puffs of steam as the reactive chemicals in the power cell made hydrogen that was then combined with available oxygen from the air to produce electricity and a little exhaust steam. It was silent, efficient, and would run for an hour or so - about 30% longer than a Ni-Cad brick battery, but could be "refueled" in seconds by changing the hydrogen generator canister - a little container slightly smaller than a pudding-cup.
The original Jadoo fuel cell power pack, on A-B "brick" battery mount.
It seemed an answered prayer for videographers and photojournalists - available power just about anywhere with sufficient wattage to keep a hungry camcorder well-fed and humming. The trouble was, like most great technological leaps forward, it was largely vaporware. Jadoo discovered it's a long way from prototype to regular production, and never quite made the leap. After languishing for several years, a Swedish company, SiGNa Chemistry bought the design and has turned the idea into a production item, introduced as the PowerTrekk, that may well solve the need for remote power for phones, laptops, ipads, and the like for some applications - with fuel from a water tap, ditch, or tidal pool. No, the output isn't sufficient to run more demanding devices, but it's a start.
Hideous green is one of four colors in which the PowerTrekk is available.
A tablespoon of water on the reactive chemical canister inside, and the device - about three times the size of your phone - powers up converting salt (sodium chloride) and sand (silicon dioxide) to electrical power. While you may not want to drag it around in your pocket, it will recharge your phone, laptop, or other device from the fuel cell and "buffer" battery in an hour or so. Cost is reasonable - "around" $175 US. Fuel cartridges (PowerPUKKs) are about $3.50 each, sold in 3-packs with a shelf life of about two years.
It's not for everyone - one PowerPUKK will fuel the device for about two hours - for about $3.50. Fortunately, the built-in "buffer" battery will store the output of the fuel cell for later use as needed. But if you're a back-country hiker or adventurer, it's pretty cool to be able to recharge - day or night - wherever you are.
No, it won't power your Elio Electric yet, but they're getting closer - the PowerTrekk produces about four watts - plenty for charging phones and laptops. It will charge connected devices at about the same rate as your home's 110vac. The current market is for cell phone and computer users who are off the grid - or those wanting to carry a backup battery with them that can recharge itself.
Just add water.