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Startup claims biggest advancements in electric motor designs in a century

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HBEcoBeaST

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Interesting. I'm really hoping they can build an electric car as dynamic and enjoyable as the FiST and one without batteries that will pollute the earth for hundreds or thousands of years.

I didn't watch the video but I didn't see statements about power consumption. I think the biggest advances need to be made in the batteries, both how they are manufactured and how they perform, range and charging. The environmental impact of making these electric motors and batteries negates much (if not all) of the lack of emissions IMO.

I wonder if these current electric batteries (nickel/lithium) will be seen as the 'plastic' of the 21st century? We thought it was a good idea.....
 


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Energy comes from somewhere to make everything. We all know fossil fuels are finite. The push should be towards using our energy resources available to us now to produce the next energy source. It’s most likely already here but we aren’t going to utilize it until petroleum is nearing it’s end. I’m not worried in the least. In the meantime I am going to have fun. 🇺🇸
 


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Thread Starter #4
Interesting. I'm really hoping they can build an electric car as dynamic and enjoyable as the FiST and one without batteries that will pollute the earth for hundreds or thousands of years.

I didn't watch the video but I didn't see statements about power consumption. I think the biggest advances need to be made in the batteries, both how they are manufactured and how they perform, range and charging. The environmental impact of making these electric motors and batteries negates much (if not all) of the lack of emissions IMO.

I wonder if these current electric batteries (nickel/lithium) will be seen as the 'plastic' of the 21st century? We thought it was a good idea.....
It's a separate subject, but it is certainly wise to look ahead toward the need for better options in terms of battery production and recycle. I'm sure we'll continue to see incremental advancements from Li-Ion technology, and possibly the emergence of other options.

Beyond that, I'm not sure we read the same article. The motor claims to be far more efficient. That translates to less power consumption which would support their claims about needing smaller batteries while extending the range and such. It also claims to require less copper than current motor tech. (they don't mention what they're using as insulators) They also don't mention durability... though durability with current motors is a non-issue. If either the bearings or the brushes wear out, they're inexpensive to replace.

It takes emissions to manufacture any and everything, including our current "go boom" technology.

Our "go boom" continues to create emissions beyond its initial production phase. This is also true of magnetic field tech; the key differences being far more efficient operation, far more efficient transport of energy (no pumps and tankers), longer lasting more durable components requiring less maintenance + fluids; and *consolidated* emissions (at power stations) meaning, far easier to monitor regulate and control.

In a nutshell, far more is required to support "go boom" tech versus "magnetic field" tech... and that's aside from what it takes to generate movement. As you pointed out, storage is a factor that needs significant advancement, but is another topic from this article which focuses on motors.
 


HBEcoBeaST

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It's a separate subject, but it is certainly wise to look ahead toward the need for better options in terms of battery production and recycle. I'm sure we'll continue to see incremental advancements from Li-Ion technology, and possibly the emergence of other options.

Beyond that, I'm not sure we read the same article. The motor claims to be far more efficient. That translates to less power consumption which would support their claims about needing smaller batteries while extending the range and such. It also claims to require less copper than current motor tech. (they don't mention what they're using as insulators) They also don't mention durability... though durability with current motors is a non-issue. If either the bearings or the brushes wear out, they're inexpensive to replace.

It takes emissions to manufacture any and everything, including our current "go boom" technology.

Our "go boom" continues to create emissions beyond its initial production phase. This is also true of magnetic field tech; the key differences being far more efficient operation, far more efficient transport of energy (no pumps and tankers), longer lasting more durable components requiring less maintenance + fluids; and *consolidated* emissions (at power stations) meaning, far easier to monitor regulate and control.

In a nutshell, far more is required to support "go boom" tech versus "magnetic field" tech... and that's aside from what it takes to generate movement. As you pointed out, storage is a factor that needs significant advancement, but is another topic from this article which focuses on motors.
maybe I misinterpreted the increased power outputs vs efficiency.

I know it's a seperate discussion, but the environmental impact of mining these rare earth metals for the batteries is arguably worse for the environment than combustion engines. There's a reason why we don't mine them in the USA and the only proposed rare earth metal mine (in TX of all places) has been declined operating permission due to the horrible environmental impact. And we aren't talking about co2 and co which can be cleaned from the atmosphere, we're talking arsenic, cyanide and heavy, toxic metals which are introduced into the environment and last forever.

I still can't believe hydrogen hasn't taken off. Emissions = h2o + o2. You can produce hydrogen with electricity and water at home from a unit the size (and cost) of a tesla charging wall.
 


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Many of the same concerns were brought up about mining for Pb-acid batteries, as well as electronics in general. It's the mining practice itself (strip-mining) that is more at heart of the issue.

MiniDisc failed to grab hold as followup replacement to Compact Disc (CD) because manufacturers refused to invest after seeing the rapidly improving pace of flash storage (chip) development on the (then distant) horizon. I'm wondering whether Hydrogen is becoming the MiniDisc in face of Li-Ion. Infrastructure for storage and transport I think is the primary obstacle for it.
 


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Many of the same concerns were brought up about mining for Pb-acid batteries, as well as electronics in general. It's the mining practice itself (strip-mining) that is more at heart of the issue.

MiniDisc failed to grab hold as followup replacement to Compact Disc (CD) because manufacturers refused to invest after seeing the rapidly improving pace of flash storage (chip) development on the (then distant) horizon. I'm wondering whether Hydrogen is becoming the MiniDisc in face of Li-Ion. Infrastructure for storage and transport I think is the primary obstacle for it.
I agree it's more about how we go about mining said materials and we are all guilty especially with our smart phones. I also have been reading about a nickel shortage which will affect battery prices soon.

I know a couple people that have the hydrogen toyota ugly prius thing. It works like a plug in hybrid by charging the electric motor with the power of the hydrogen fuel cell. They both got tax credits to install a 'hydrogen station' in their homes and it's the same size and shape of a small tesla wall so they produce their own hydrogen, which is convenient but doesn't really help you out on the go. And I'm sure manufacturing two motors and a battery unit does its share to the environment.

hopefully these new electric motors greatly increase range. I still think the electricity production and storage is the biggest issue.
 




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