• @sugar_in_your_tea
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    1 month ago

    Why not? From what I’ve seen, they’re about 75% as energy dense as lithium, and a lot cheaper. So if the Chevy Bolt gets 200-250 miles range on lithium batteries, I’d expect 150+ miles w/ sodium-ion, which is plenty for my commute. If the battery costs half as much and lasts 5-10 years, I’d buy that to replace my commuter in a heartbeat. Give me a commuter at $15-20k w/ 150 miles range and I’ll buy.

    • KillingTimeItself
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      30 days ago

      these batteries are a lot cheaper, and a lot more cycle resistant, which is what you primarily do for stationary storage, i think they’re probably safer as well?

      It would make some EVs cheaper, but they would have less range, and it’s probably a little redundant considering you could just use less lithium ion batts instead.

      Like the commenter said, we should be focusing on the solid state batts that samsung is fucking with, those are have REAL potential to be significantly better for EVs.

      • @sugar_in_your_tea
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        230 days ago

        A solid state battery would likely be able to replace my family car, but I don’t need that for a commuter, I just need the battery to be cheaply replaceable and enough range to get to work and back. I think we should be looking at both options.

        • KillingTimeItself
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          130 days ago

          i mean sure, personally i doubt it’ll happen, im assuming they’re focusing on developing better battery tech first and foremost, though im guessing sodium ions would probably make their way into EVs eventually.

          • @sugar_in_your_tea
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            230 days ago

            They already are… in China. I’m saying we should do that here in the US. We have the battery plant, so let’s put them in some inexpensive cars to replace commuters.

            • KillingTimeItself
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              130 days ago

              i dont think we’ve even broken ground on a sodium ion plant let alone making and production testing batteries for the market to begin with. I’ve got nothing aginst it, and EV manufacturers are probably going to do it, but whatever

              Also you can buy a used prius for pretty cheap? The batteries aren’t that expensive to replace if they go bad/are bad.

              • @sugar_in_your_tea
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                129 days ago

                Yup, and I currently drive a Prius. I’m looking at used Bolts ($13-15k used), but I’m a little worried about fire risk (it’ll be parked in my attached garage) and battery repair is going to be super expensive. A new sodium ion EV that’s much cheaper (say, $15-20k) would be attractive, but I’m definitely not paying >$30k for a commuter.

                • KillingTimeItself
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                  129 days ago

                  yeah idk personally i feel like i would just live with the prius until i could get my hands on something truly more accessible to the market, which is inevitable at this rate.

                  • @sugar_in_your_tea
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                    128 days ago

                    Yup, it would be pretty nice to never have to take it to the gas station again though.

        • KillingTimeItself
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          30 days ago

          current lithium batts are a submersion layer stacking inside of an electrolyte, solid state removes the electrolyte for a “dry” approach, which is in this case, solid state. I’m guessing it’s referring to the movement of ions (is that the right term?) through the electrolyte, which is a mechanical process (technically) but i don’t know fuck about battery chemistry so dont quote me.

      • @sugar_in_your_tea
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        41 month ago

        If they also see a lower price, they’ll be more interested.

        And this doesn’t need to appeal to every car buyer, there’s a market for budget-friendly cars with a narrow use-case. 150 miles is plenty for a second car, and would probably not appeal to people looking for a primary car, whereas 250 miles kind of bridges that gap. Segment the market and it should do well.

        • skulblaka
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          430 days ago

          These would also make bank as fleet vehicles for local deliveries or shuttle services.

        • @[email protected]
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          230 days ago

          Lower price and longer life.

          50,000 complete cycles. That’s 136 years of complete empty to complete full. Most of these will outlast their mounting hardware.

          • @sugar_in_your_tea
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            330 days ago

            Sure. Drop them in budget cars, and when the cars are ready to EOL, move the batteries to energy storage.

            • @[email protected]
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              230 days ago

              Yep. And decommissioning time? The sodium is all recyclable without major effort, and the Prussian Blue analogs can be discarded.

        • KillingTimeItself
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          130 days ago

          or you could also just, make a hybrid, which solves all of the problems, though it’s a little more complex.

          • @sugar_in_your_tea
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            330 days ago

            It’s a lot more complex, and would drive up the price a lot. A simple EV with limited range has a lot of value for cases that only need short range.

            • KillingTimeItself
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              130 days ago

              i guess so but whats your argument for not just buying an older used prius instead

              • @sugar_in_your_tea
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                129 days ago

                That’s what I currently drive. It would be nice to never have to fill up gas again.