Quote:
Originally Posted by kuhlka
Read up on super capacitors. All-electric quick-charging cars aren't that far away. Some prototypes are using bodywork as batteries.
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The energy density of batteries is too low for what we'd really like to have for our vehicles (it takes over a thousand pounds of batteries to give a fairly aerodynamic sedan [Model S] a 260 mile range). Supercaps are more than an order of magnitude worse than that (so a thousand pounds of supercaps would only give a Model S a <26 mile range). Yes, they're great for fast charging and discharging, but they're nowhere near the required energy density to be viable as the main energy storage in a car yet. They could potentially be used to provide quick bursts of power though, so the main battery wouldn't need to provide as much current.