Hi Whatsnext,
I remember reading in the SAE news-letter(newspaper), about a year ago. One of the Sae presidents stating we all need young innovators. Or something along those lines.
The weight of battery banks is a serious issue. But for some applications what we have will work. Is the fuel cell the answer? Many think so. But why. Because so much has been invested in them, and people are scrambling to protect the r&d investment, or its genuinely a better technology. I dont have the answer. But I guess thats, all that's, on the table.
If im not mistaken Thomas Edison was one of the founding officers of SAE. What would he think?
You hear about people making efforts to make a rechargeable aluminum air battery. But it comes down to the same uncertainty of why metalhydride electrodes are effective as they are.
Then you hear about the definition of insanity, as doing the same thing over hundreds of times with the same result. Yet it took Thomas Edison 2000 times to make an incandesnt light bulb.
The moral of the story is, most give up too early(its just a longer road than we expect). Look at how many professors filled blackboards with calculations as to why an airplane could never ever fly. And the guys who actually solved the problem, made bicycles for gods sake. Then you hear Von Braun stating it was remarkable how one man could do so much in his field, when speaking of Goddard. I believe in 1940 the US census department took inventors off the official list of occupations.
As a smart consumer, I could have a good petrol car and an pure electric one. Atleast I could make that work economically(having both). Why do I have to have only one or the other. Or even a hybrid. If electric cars have a well established set of limits, they should be able to play in the game doing what they do best, for an affordable price. I can always jump in a gas car if I have too. Why cant several solutions be solved thru several different mechanisms. Why do all the eggs have to be in one basket. Dont get me wrong Whatsnext, you make some very valid points.
Granted there are the 'fringe' out there. But only in places like this board where all are contributing, that we all have something to say, and our are own decision makers. We decide what we are going to take seriously.
(to all)By the way, I like the(description of the) tin hat brigade as well.
And how bout that 7 of 9
JW