when will e car battery tech come to flshlights?
- Thread starter raggie33
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It will likely trickle down as it has already from 18650 to now 21700 and perhaps 4680 cells.
The issue lately I think is that research for battery tech is not taking flashlights into consideration it is all either about electric cars or power grid or solar power storage these days and the trend is more along the line of larger batteries that are not as useful for flashlights like the 4680 more like a lantern or spot light or power bank/station battery.
What is needed is newer or more refined chemistries better than what is in 18650 etc cells. In other words don't hold your breath as the 18650 battery in earliest laptops didn't make mainstream in flashlight and power tools and now yard tools for past 10 years of them being made for things.
The issue lately I think is that research for battery tech is not taking flashlights into consideration it is all either about electric cars or power grid or solar power storage these days and the trend is more along the line of larger batteries that are not as useful for flashlights like the 4680 more like a lantern or spot light or power bank/station battery.
What is needed is newer or more refined chemistries better than what is in 18650 etc cells. In other words don't hold your breath as the 18650 battery in earliest laptops didn't make mainstream in flashlight and power tools and now yard tools for past 10 years of them being made for things.
I await the day when flashlights will finally go 0 to 60 in 1.1 seconds.
idleprocess
Flashaholic
With an appropriate-sized flashlight I imagine that a baseball pitcher could make arrangements for that to happen in significantly less than 1.1 seconds.
They already do.... light travels far faster than that from them.
jtr1962
Flashaholic
Sodium-ion batteries show a lot of promise. Lower in energy density than li-ion but potentially a lot cheaper, and more robust as well.
As already mentioned, most battery research these days is focused on either electric vehicles or grid storage. For the latter especially cost per kW-hr matters more than energy density.
That said, there are some chemistries which are potentially much higher energy density, such as lithium-sulfur.
As already mentioned, most battery research these days is focused on either electric vehicles or grid storage. For the latter especially cost per kW-hr matters more than energy density.
That said, there are some chemistries which are potentially much higher energy density, such as lithium-sulfur.
As much as I hope these batteries become mainstream I'm not holding my breath as many other batteries that have been hyped in the last 10+ years and never made it to market. Most batteries and tech has improved and got cheaper overall except lead acid batteries it is about time to replace them for good.
I'll go so far as to say that we already have Tesla technology available for our lights.
According to the current paper Car & Driver magazine, the Tesla S Plaid is their quickest model, which C&D tested as 2.1 seconds from 0-60. It uses over 7,000 Panasonic li-ion 18650 cells in a liquid-cooled pack, according to C&D. Not specified is exactly how these 18650 cells are constructed, so who knows if you can buy the exact equivalent.
C&D also cites a couple of gas cars that accelerate about the same.
According to the current paper Car & Driver magazine, the Tesla S Plaid is their quickest model, which C&D tested as 2.1 seconds from 0-60. It uses over 7,000 Panasonic li-ion 18650 cells in a liquid-cooled pack, according to C&D. Not specified is exactly how these 18650 cells are constructed, so who knows if you can buy the exact equivalent.
C&D also cites a couple of gas cars that accelerate about the same.
idleprocess
Flashaholic
Model S has used top-shelf 3.5Ah cells optimized for cycle life for many years as far as I know. Not sure if the Plaid has any substantial difference in its pack or if the special sauce is in the motors / power electronics / software.
LEDrock
Enlightened
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2008
- Messages
- 282
7,000?
When one of these car battery packs wears out enough to not be able to run the car, they would no doubt have plenty of life left individually to be used in flashlights. An electric car owner who replaces his car's battery pack would have 7,000 18650 cells that he could sell to people (at a bargain price, of course) with flashlights that use them. At a cost of $1 each, he could recover $7,000. Not bad!
Of course, if electric cars became commonplace, then these 18650 batteries would soon become so common that they couldn't even be sold for $1 unless they were new. They'd be everywhere.
