Alec Cameron wrote in a message to Day Brown:
 AC> Hi Day
 AC> On (21 Sep 97) Day Brown wrote to Jim Dunmyer...
 DB> I heard the death knell of the IC vehicle power plant; they've 
 DB> applied computer chip plasma vapor deposition to batteries, and 
 DB> now have a lead cell with *twenty* times the power density. the 
 DB> range goes from 75 to 1500 miles/charge.
 AC> Do us all a very great favour, and keep this matter before
 AC> us. Like, what are the problems with the super cell? Price?
 AC> Life expectancy? At 1500 miles/ charge, boy! it will need a
 AC> great battery charger.
 AC> Rough figures: Assume average 50 mph [30 hours] and 20kW
 AC> drive power [compact]= 600kWH.
Just curious,  where do you get that 20kW figure from?
 AC> 110 volt charger, 5 hours recharge. Charger kW then 600/5 ie 
 AC> 120kW SO amps roughly 120000 / 110 say 1200 amps from the 110v 
 AC> supply.
At anything like that power level the recharge time will have to be longer,  
say 10 hours or even more,  and the likely power supply will be 240v,  not 
110.  You don't see that kind of load at 110 at all,  usually.
The biggest single load in a typical home is electric heat (if it's used), 
electric stove,  or electric clothes dryer,  all of which use the higher 
voltage.
So double the voltage,  halve the amperage.  Double the charging time and 
halve it again.  We're still looking at 300 amps,  a decidedly nontrivial 
load!
 AC> Your neighbourhood gas station, will move in with the grid 
 AC> switchyard!
 AC> We all want to be kept informed on this great battery,
 AC> please!  Cheers...ALEC 
Yes.
email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com 
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