"History is a wonderful thing, if only it was true"
-Tolstoy

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Wishful Thinking

Not like computers where Moore's Law describes the increasing power from the same mass (real estate on the chip), more battery power = more electrons, which come with protons and neutrons (ie Mass).

High Battery Cost Curbs Electric Cars - WSJ.com:

The push to get electric cars on the road is backed by governments and auto makers around the world, but they face a big hurdle: the stubbornly high cost of the giant battery packs, which can account for more than half the cost of an electric vehicle.

Both the industry and government are betting that a quick takeoff in electric-car sales will drive down the battery prices. But a number of scientists and automotive engineers believe cost reductions will be hard to come by.

Unlike with tires or toasters, battery packs aren't likely to enjoy traditional economies of scale as their makers ramp up production, the scientists and engineers say.

These experts say increased production of batteries means the price of the key metals used in their manufacture will remain steady—or maybe even rise—at least in the short term. They also say the price of the electronic parts used in battery packs as well as the enclosures that house the batteries aren't likely to decline appreciably.

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