introducing the cotton battery

Quote: Evenbob

I still don't get how the carbon battery charges in 12 min, can somebody explain how that's possible?

There are DC Quick Chargers for Electric Vehicles (EV). The Fuji Electric’s newly designed FRC Series of Quick Chargers for Electric Vehicles offers the ability to charge a 25 kWh electric vehicle battery (i.e. Nissan Leaf) in less than 60 minutes.

The cotton battery is obviously using some variation on one of these DC systems.

These types of charging stations are very rare in the USA (roughly 220 in the entire country). The Fuji one requires an 80 Amp circuit and the box weighs 900 pounds.


CHAdeMO is an abbreviation of “CHArge de MOve", equivalent to “charge for moving”, and is a pun for O cha demo ikaga desuka in Japanese, meaning “How about some tea” in English.

Oh those witty guys!

In Ontario 60% of our electricity comes from nuclear and hydro, so it applies here. Even in your state of PA, ALL of your power is generated by nuclear or hydro, so your argument doesn't apply where you live.

Quote: rxwine

Speaking of battery pack exchange stations, I expect new laws will be written for the profit side of it. Unlike a gas station, a charge pack could be left with various states of power left. If the stations figure out how to profit from that will they share with the public or just take it? (kind of like how the casino industry decided money left too long on a TITO ticket was theirs).

I expect if that occurs and the public notices there will be some legislation.

Why would the station be expected to "share" that with anyone?

This is a big problem with the world today. That "excess power" belongs to the station because a person made a free exchange with the station owner. Why should "the public" have a thing to do with it?

An unclaimed TITO should 100% go to the casino. The public has no part in the transaction.

An unused gift card should 100% go back to the issuer. The public has no part in the transaction.

And "unused power" should go back to the station owner. The public has no part in the transaction.

To take any of these transactions for "the public" is looting, no diferent than if you pulled out a gun and extorted money from the parties involved.

Quote: AZDuffman

To take any of these transactions for "the public" is looting, no diferent than if you pulled out a gun and extorted money from the parties involved.

We have that here with the bottle and can deposit
law. Only 98% of the people bring them back to
get their deposit returned, that leaves millions a
year that get thrown away, at 10 cents apiece.
This was money in the pocket of the beverage
producers until the state passed a law that all that
money has to go to the state. How they figured
that was a mystery, but gov't will always stick it's
nose in where it has no business being.

Quote: Evenbob

We have that here with the bottle and can deposit
law. Only 98% of the people bring thrigem back to
get their deposit returned, that leaves millions a
year that get thrown away, at 10 cents apiece.
This was money in the pocket of the beverage
producers until the state passed a law that all that
money has to go to the state. How they figured
that was a mystery, but gov't will always stick it's
nose in where it has no business being.

When I lived in NY some guy tried to get me to sign a petition to let the government steal the unclaimed deposit money. His rationale was, "right now the pop companies get it." So I replied that they should as the cost of collecting and returning was on them. He huffed off.

Government--it takes what it wants and taxes what it leaves you.

In 1994 they put in the automated return machines
and the bar code reader couldn't tell the difference
between a MI can and one from out of state. It was a
cottage industry for some to bring a truck load of
thousands of cans from IN and OH and get 10 cents
apiece for them. You could easily make $500 tax
free a week for about 20 hours of work. It wasn't
against the law, all they could do is seize the cans
and let you go if caught.

I even did it for awhile. I had a partner in Elkhart that
gathered them all week and I was there on business
every Wed anyway, so I gave him a nickel apiece and
brought back 2000 cans a week. Taking them back
was a breeze and an extra $100 a week was nice. They
finally passed a law in 1998 making it a felony getting
caught with that many, but in those 4 years before
that, people made a living at it.

Quote: beachbumbabs

It's also interesting that they had this technology in the 1970's but shelved it because they couldn't generate enough power to make it practical.

Carbon is the most often studied molecule but it was only a relatively few years ago that someone prowling around an arc lamp discovered the existence of graphene, a now it seems graphene can be made in anyone's kitchen laboratory.
I wonder just how the battery actually works. Cotton? And how did it take ten years to perfect it?

Quote: AZDuffman

Why would the station be expected to "share" that with anyone?

This is a big problem with the world today. That "excess power" belongs to the station because a person made a free exchange with the station owner. Why should "the public" have a thing to do with it?

An unclaimed TITO should 100% go to the casino. The public has no part in the transaction.

An unused gift card should 100% go back to the issuer. The public has no part in the transaction.

And "unused power" should go back to the station owner. The public has no part in the transaction.

To take any of these transactions for "the public" is looting, no diferent than if you pulled out a gun and extorted money from the parties involved.

The problem with the world today, is you are taking one side of it. Show me businesses not lobbying to turn regulations to their favor all the time. The public has just as much right to do so.

If it's looting, it's all of them looting. Don't forget to include yourself as you've probably voted for corporate invested politicians.

Quote: Fleastiff

I wonder just how the battery actually works. Cotton? And how did it take ten years to perfect it?

Edison tried 3000 different things before he
discovered carbonized cotton thread made
the best light bulb filament. I think it had
something to do with the electrons being
more densely packed in the carbon.

Quote: Fleastiff

Carbon is the most often studied molecule but it was only a relatively few years ago that someone prowling around an arc lamp discovered the existence of graphene, a now it seems graphene can be made in anyone's kitchen laboratory?

All those years of poking and shaking those narrow ketchup bottles. Someone finally thought of making them with a wide opening and setting them continuously on their top, so gravity is always assisting. You just never know what someone will finally notice.