another: Is this credible?

bgarrett

Another fantasy from Popular Mechanics? I tell ya, I have no faith in this magazine

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/home_improvement/4326258.html

BB.

Re: another: Is this credible?

Here is a Wiki on Sodium/Sulfur high temperature batteries.

They have been around for several decades and at least one Japanese company has been working hard on them (raw materials are cheaply available in Japan).

Besides the obvious issues of temperature and dangers of battery+water=fire/explosion (which is probably not much different than the exploding cell phone and laptop batteries of today :roll: )--The current CS High Temp batteries seem to be rated around C/8 or C/7 current--may not be useful for a car where steady freeway driving is in the C/4 to C/2 discharge range--let alone the issue of starts, stops, and fast charging.

In the end--at this point, the article is probably another press release more than a scientific journal dissertation.

Ceramatec:

• Incorporated in 1976
  • Technology spin-off from the University of Utah
• 1976-1990: Contract R&D Company
  • Focus: Sodium-sulfur batteries, fuel cells, structural ceramics, electronic packages
• 1990-1999: Subsidiary of Elkem A.S.
  • Focus: Fuel cells, oxygen separation, oxygen sensors commercialization and “spin-off” product companies
• 2000: Returned to Small Business (solely owned by Dr. Ashok Joshi)
  • Focus: Energy, environment, biotech
• 2008: CoorsTek acquisition
  • Continue as innovative R&D company
• 165 Employees (3x growth in 7 years)
  • Large Fraction - Engineers and Scientists
• 140,000 ft2 Mfg and R&D Facility
• Concept to commercialization
  • R&D --> prototype --> pilot scale fabrication -->
  • Large scale manufacturing with CoorsTek

Here is the ~8 page newspaper article from where the PM slice/press release was probably taken.... Hmmm Randy Wright - (Daily Herald) is the author of both.

Lots more details and indicates that they could be six months from commercialization (did not see any details of what size/rating of initial battery).

Still are issues to be resolved... Interesting.

-Bill