MIT Develops Fast Charging Liquid Flow Batteries

An anonymous reader sends this from the MIT News office: "A radically new approach to the design of batteries, developed by researchers at MIT, could provide a lightweight and inexpensive alternative to existing batteries for electric vehicles and the power grid. The technology could even make 'refueling' such batteries as quick and easy as pumping gas into a conventional car (abstract). The new battery relies on an innovative architecture called a semi-solid flow cell, in which solid particles are suspended in a carrier liquid and pumped through the system. In this design, the battery’s active components — the positive and negative electrodes, or cathodes and anodes — are composed of particles suspended in a liquid electrolyte. These two different suspensions are pumped through systems separated by a filter, such as a thin porous membrane."

Better than public transportation

[cryfreedomlove]

I'm a big believer in the personal freedom offered by owner-driven vehicles, even if the driver is often the only person in the vehicle. Therefore, I am in favor of advanced battery technology that will allow a gradual transition of the world's fleet of personal vehicles to all electric drive rather than gasoline and diesel. Gasoline and diesel require a state of constant war in the Middle East to sustain.

Am I the only one who saw this?

[Jane Q. Public]

I have a very big issue with what appears to be publicly-funded research being siphoned straight off into some corporate treasuries.

This BS needs to stop. Repeal the Bayh-Dole Act [wikipedia.org]. It has done nothing but harm the public and our economy.

Re:Hopefully...

[peragrin]

With a useful load is the real trick to electric anything.

Sure you can have an electric car today. Try loading up 2-3 of your friends, luggage for 4-5 days, to go anywhere?

The few cars that might get 200 mile range are suddenly cut down to 75.

Electric will come when two things happen. Better energy storage, and people get over nuclear power fears. With out nuclear power generation electric cars are worthless. Solar, wind hydro, geothermal, tidal, won't produce enough power to cover current needs, let alone tripling it by 30% of the population using electric cars.