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My car has a significant design flaw(1), in that it allows children to turn on the backseat car lights and leave them on. I've had more dead batteries in the five years I've had sentient children than I've had in the 40 years prior. This is a great idea. (1) Perhaps the design flaw is in the children.
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Sportbike owners are already buying cheap LiFePO4 batteries sans capacitors in droves, so there'd have to be some kind of strong differentiation for Ohm.
Do LiFePO4 provide enough cranking amps for a sportbike?
Hey everyone! I'm Hunter, one of the cofounders of Ohm. Let me know if I can answer any questions.
Will you be making a version for amateur/semi pro race car drivers? They are always looking to shave off weight so it can be redistributed in the way they want. Being able to cut 30lbs would be a big deal.
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>> Rated for -30°C to +50°C [1] -22F ~ -30C [1] http://www.getohm.com/
Is that expected to be sufficient? Typical automotive electrical components are rated over -40C to 85 or 105C. I think the engine compartment is typically hotter than 50C when a car is running. This might be more suitable to a car that mounts the battery remotely: I have seen BMWs with the battery in the trunk.
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(7) This doesn't apply to all performance cars, but in track racing where you really need to save every possible ounce, it's common to take the battery out altogether after starting the car and run it off the alternator.
Co-founder here. Do the cars you're talking about use a distributor? The battery of a car works as a low pass filter for the alternator, and removing it entirely can cause huge spikes in the voltage it puts out. That can be destructive to just about any electronics it would be running. I've personally seen an accidental battery disconnect blow an ECU.
1. put this into a modern car 2. do not drive for a month 3. car's slow but steady draw drains battery to where it self shuts off 4. attempt to enter car 5. realize that it is a modern car, and without electricity from the battery you cannot even open the door 6. ... 7. profit?
() explaining the plural "batteries", above.
> Oh, and its lifespan (7 years) is about twice that of a lead-acid battery (3-4 years). Nonsense; lead acid batteries easily last 5 years or more. Since the article lowballs the life of a lead-acid battery, it's reasonable to suspect that it's likewise overestimating the seven year life of this new battery, which would make them about equal. > They’re filled with garbage materials that are terrible for the planet. M…
Not just generally, pretty much universally. You can't buy a starter battery without paying a core charge any more; according to the EPA (http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/battery.htm), 99% of all lead-acid batteries are recycled. Not even steel cans (http://www.kab.org/site/PageServer?pagename=recycling_facts_...), the most recycled container type, come close.
You would not be far wrong in claiming that the lead-acid battery is the world's most environmentally friendly manufactured product. I don't blame Ohm directly for TC's hyperbole; TC is a known rag. But still... have the decency to stand up for the facts.
(1) Those nasty things inside car batteries are easily recycled and in fact are recycled more often than not (like 95%+) (2) Car batteries do not last only 3-4 years as per the OP. Car batteries can last decades. There are many variables, but the car in my battery is far older than 4 years. (lol) (3) Replacing an easily-recyclable product with a less-recyclable one is no step forwards. (4) XX addressed by OP comment,…
If you look at this purely from the standpoint of the benefit to a consumer, it doesn't seem like a great deal. You gain: * Auto-shutoff when your battery gets too low. * Possibly some increased lifespan * ~34lbs in weight reduction, which might deliver a small performance increase. You lose: * 78% of your battery capacity * $20-$150 on the purchase price of the battery Personally, I don't like the idea of paying mor…