thunder wrote:
On Fri, 01 May 2009 08:26:44 -0400, Keith Nuttle wrote:


If you had a gasoline electric a 30 year old truck would be in the junk
by now because of the cost of replacing the battery. From what I have
heard they have to be replaced every 6 to 8 years depending on use. With
that rate of depreciation they become disposable. Every one know the
cost of replacing batteries in your old laptop.

Geez, if everyone was as negative about new technologies as you are, we
would still be driving horse and buggies, and forget computers. Still,
they are now getting 100,000 miles out of present battery technology, and
with standardization, and future innovations, battery life will improve
and cost will come down. Remember the cost of those older laptops?

Gas/eclectic technology is not new. It is at least 80 years old in this
country. The first gas (fossil fuel)/electric systems appeared on the
railroads in the thirties and became that standard engine about 1960.
They are now the only system used on the major railroad lines.

Chemistry dictates what can be done with batteries, and they can not be
improved beyond a point that is dictated by the atomic structure of the
atoms being used in the battery. ie. Nickel hydride, zinc/carbon etc.

It does not matter what system is used for propulsion of a vehicle there
is given amount of energy needed to move that vehicle. This is defined
by basic physical equations on mass and velocity.

What ever means of propulsion that is used the energy to propel that
vehicle, it must be created, either in a fixed power plant, or on the
vehicle with a gasoline or nuclear system. Batteries are storage system
and not an energy source.

As for the 100,000 miles, I have never had a vehicle that I did not have
over 150000 miles on when I got rid of it. (a couple with 200000) The
way cars are used today that is not abnormal. This means that when ever
you bought a used car you will be looking at replacing the batteries.
This will cause cars to depreciate even faster than today.