Another Tesla thread...

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Mtns2Skies

Final Approach
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Mtns2Skies
Alright, can someone explain to me why Tesla (and other EV manufacturers) elect to use batteries vs. Super Capacitors?

The appeal I see to supercaps is that there is no change in lifestyle to use them, assuming comparable range. Show up to the electric station, plug in, charge up for 1-5 minutes and you're on your way, much like normal fuel.

While I understand that batteries have superior energy density currently, with the amount of money Tesla has poured into battery research, surely if that instead were put into super capacitor research they would be nearly equivalent in capability?

I'm sure I'm making wildly incorrect assumptions, so please educate me so I can put my mind at ease.
 
Capacitors also have constantly changing voltage; from the second they are finished charging, it's going down. You need to add electronics to keep your motor voltage at required levels.
 
The very best theoretical SuperCapacitor right now is 10 times larger (physically) than the worst Li-ION battery. If you put that in a Tesla you'll get around 30 miles of range at best.

It's not that Tesla is ignoring them - Elon's PhD was going to be in SuperCapacitors. I'm sure he would love to use them, but the tech isn't there yet.

All of Tesla's research has made a battery mostly cheaper and a little better - maybe 50%. A SuperCapacitor that's 50% better would still be useless. At this point, it needs discovery, not just engineering. Universities are better suited for that kind of research.
 
It'll happen eventually, but it's definitely still in the research stage, and not ready for practical use.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
It'll happen eventually, but it's definitely still in the research stage, and not ready for practical use.
Click to expand...

The general public has been bamboozled into this state of mind. "Someday" batteries will magically gain 10X the current energy density, and super capacitors will become ubiquitous.

The results of scientific efforts in the last decade indicate otherwise.
 
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