Rechargeable Batteries with 20 year life span
I see one big problem with fast charging of car batteries - the amperage needed to do it
Take a standard 44amp hour battery - charge to 70% in two minutes needs a whopping 924 amps
Take a standard 44amp hour battery - charge to 70% in two minutes needs a whopping 924 amps
The article refers to the batteries used to PROPEL electric cars which are orders of magnitude larger. 
The time taken to recharge these is already a major issue (as is the limited number of cycles before they need replacing) and this won't really affect that without some extraordinary means of supplying enormous currents.
If you think petrol stations are dangerous places think about somewhere capable of delivering what would amount to megawatts of power (for a few minutes) to a single vehicle.
It's probably better to think about the power (Watts) required than the current as charging systems would probably connect at higher voltages to work effectively.
I don't know what power a typical electric car uses to run, but looking at the power output of petrol engines they are usually 100KW or more.
Just as a ball-park lets say an efficient average of 25KW while "cruising" and you want to replenish several hours (say 5) of driving use in 5 minutes (60:1) that would suggest recharging at 1.5MW......
For smaller low-consumption devices on the other hand it sounds promising.
The time taken to recharge these is already a major issue (as is the limited number of cycles before they need replacing) and this won't really affect that without some extraordinary means of supplying enormous currents.
If you think petrol stations are dangerous places think about somewhere capable of delivering what would amount to megawatts of power (for a few minutes) to a single vehicle.
It's probably better to think about the power (Watts) required than the current as charging systems would probably connect at higher voltages to work effectively.
I don't know what power a typical electric car uses to run, but looking at the power output of petrol engines they are usually 100KW or more.
Just as a ball-park lets say an efficient average of 25KW while "cruising" and you want to replenish several hours (say 5) of driving use in 5 minutes (60:1) that would suggest recharging at 1.5MW......
For smaller low-consumption devices on the other hand it sounds promising.
Surely mpg is only meaningful if the fluid (petrol, diesel, whatever) measured in gallons is the ONLY source of power for propulsion.
The fact that it goes indirectly to the wheel via a generator/battery/motor setup is neither here nor there in the calculation.
The interesting technology used in F1 shows that energy recovery in braking, exhausts etc. can make the overall setup more efficient, though whether 230mpg is achievable in a road car at present seems extremely unlikely.
If the batteries can also be charged up by plugging into the mains and a petrol engine tops up the batteries (as several designs do) then mpg is totally meaningless.
The fact that it goes indirectly to the wheel via a generator/battery/motor setup is neither here nor there in the calculation.
The interesting technology used in F1 shows that energy recovery in braking, exhausts etc. can make the overall setup more efficient, though whether 230mpg is achievable in a road car at present seems extremely unlikely.
If the batteries can also be charged up by plugging into the mains and a petrol engine tops up the batteries (as several designs do) then mpg is totally meaningless.
I remember back in 2003ish, they proudly announced we'd have batteries that would last 20 years within the following 10, still waiting 11 years on, and they're still making claims today, it's like the claims of over-unity being possible but nobody has produced a working example (claiming "the man" made them "disappear"), if you want 20 years of power, get a bike with a generator attached, gets you loads of free electricity AND keeps you fit... 
Do they make cars that last 20 years?
Indeedy so... jim.... and my old faithful Skoda Fabia was rust free also...
and my old faithful Skoda Fabia was rust free also...