this post was submitted on 29 Nov 2023
129 points (72.2% liked)

Technology

59622 readers
3195 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 134 points 1 year ago (2 children)

That article gave no reason for me to believe these claims. Also that website is horrible.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Fluff piece for getting funding from suckers.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Interesting the major backer is Volkswagen who announced last week their brand is no longer competitive...so now they're trying to get more value out of this investment by junk pieces like this.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

It's solid instead of liquid broski. QED.

[–] [email protected] 66 points 1 year ago (9 children)

Lots of companies have been saying they have solid state EV batteries for years, yet you still can't buy one. Either they can't figure out how to mass produce them cost effectively or there is some sort of problem with the battery.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I think toyota actually plans on getting there in the next few years. I think the current and final hurdle; which I'm guessing a couple different companies about have a complete handle on is the prevention of dendrites forming and causing the batteries to go bad from multiple charge cycles.

Toyota wouldn't be blowing fluff about having the batteries a few years away from production if they weren't confident about it happening. That's reserved for saying something is 7 to 10 years away.

[–] jballs 15 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I think it's more likely that Toyota dropped the ball on not investing in EVs early, so that they felt the need to announce they were working on some thing in hopes of staying relevant.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Toyota has been claiming to have EV-killing tech 3-5 years away for 20 years. It's part of the plan for selling hybrids.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I mean…. Really? Toyota kind of kicked off the whole EV shebang by introducing the first commercially successful hybrid in the Prius. And they’ve been innovating in the space ever since. Don’t mistake this for me believing they have a solid state battery right around the corner. But Japanese auto companies aren’t known for being on the forefront. They’re known for doing what everyone else does with better reliability and lower costs.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Toyota have announced several times already that they're "this close" 🤏 or only a few years away from releasing their first solid state battery EV...I'll believe it when I see it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Me too. And their revolutionary hydrogen car that everyone will turn to by the year yesterday

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (5 children)

The same Toyota that declared that electric vehicles were a non-starter and that hydrogen vehicles were the future?

I think hydrogen will be in the future, but not for a while. Toyota is having to make lots of promises to make up for Kia and Hyundai eating their lunch.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Toyota doesn't make batteries, they make press releases - the purpose of which is to dissuade you from buying a BEV, in case you find out how good they are.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Here's why I don't buy it- Toyota is still hyping hydrogen as the next gen fuel option. They barely have a BEV option, despite having a 15-year lead on electric drivetrains.

They're betting hard that BEVs are a small market.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

If they kept systems as hybrids until better battery tech shows up, I still think that would be the best bet (for the US market, at least). Needing a 1500 pound battery that's hard as hell to replace, costs usually over $5,000 just for the battery, and will slowly degrade with time until complete failure in 15 years or so seems like a right bad idea for a large amount of people. Smaller batteries in shorter range models isn't good enough for trips away from town, and for the millions of people living in apartments, they have to charge away from home, which is often no cheaper than gasoline and takes longer. Hybrid systems are the sweet spot for now. No range anxiety, no plugging in, and no giant 1500 lb batteries, while the gas motors last ages because they aren't working as hard. When my old prius battery went out after being around 13 years old, I bought a new one from toyota for $1900 and swapped it out in an afternoon.

I don't think hydrogen will happen in the US. I think that's also a fairly poor choice just because of how much power it takes to make the stuff and getting stations for hydrogen all across the country.

load more comments (8 replies)
[–] PinkPanther 61 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Tell me once it's on the market. Been reading about better battery technology for years, and nothing happens.

[–] Syntha 17 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Battery capacity has tripled in the last decade

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, I think I've lost track how many articles and youtube videos about amazing "solid state" batteries are just around the corner. But I've not seen one actually materialise.

I mean, it's great if true. But, I'm going to wait and see.

There's been a steady increase in lithium based technologies though. But I do wonder when and where the plateau there might be.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 49 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Wake me up when they’re being mass produced at cost effective rates.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

subscribe 😴

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 48 points 1 year ago

Maybe we need to have a completely-bullshit-venture-capital-investor-bait-technology community.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 1 year ago

LMAO They are going to win!

They beat Tesla with their own weapons: empty promises!

/s

[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yah and cold fusion is right around the corner.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Awesome I can use that to charge this new battery

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

You’ll want a Mr. Fusion for that.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 year ago

So does this company actually HAVE a solid state battery or is this still all in concept?

Because we already know how amazing and good a solid state battery would be... When we finally get them. But the problem is actually getting them.

Unfortunately the article seems to be mostly talking about how good a solid state battery would be and not much at all on this startup actually having anything functional.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago

Great, I guess I will just go to a store a buy one of those .

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ah yes more "crushing" tech... High density and fast charging... Always means it's only good for like 100 charge cycles so it's effectively useless in reality.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

from what i understand, solid state batteries are legitimately about as revolutionary as lithium ion were because they are all of those things, and by their very nature they have a huge number of charge cycles

… whether this specific announcement results in a mass-production-capable battery is another story

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

QuantumScape has been expected to produce something for a long time now, it isn't new, the article didn't mention timelines or production.

They where supposed to go intro production mid this year / next

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2020/09/quantumscape-plans-1-gigawatt-hour-battery-plant-in-2024.html

Till we see them rolling off the factory line it is just vapor .

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The Next Big Thing™ is always ~5 years away.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago

Battery news have been so fake every time. I won’t believe any more battery tech news until I see an actual device or vehicle powered by one.

[–] Varyk 17 points 1 year ago

We know solid-state batteries are good, we want someone to produce stable solid-state batteries cost-effectively.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, I'm going to base my investment on large scale technology on finance.yaoo.com, or better yet benzinga.com!! Especially after their exclusive on "Analyst Inside Look: Trends And Opportunities In Ohio's Emerging Recreational Cannabis Sector"

But this battery CRUSHES it! That's more than SLAMS!!!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I keep reading batterie breakthroughs that change the world for decades now.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

First of all, their claims are not new. They claim this for a long time already but have not shown a minimal viable product yet. During the time they spend money in research, Tesla batteries grew to 3 times the originals.

QuantumScape have only shown minuscule batteries, they need to scale up to car battery capacity. Only a car with their battery can prove their claims. Until that happens their stories are worth nothing.

Charging a 75kWh large car battery in 15 minutes requires a charger of at least 300.000W. Imagine a charging station for 5 cars would need a 1.5MW power station. That is impractical. Also the current flowing into the car would be enormously high, requiring huge cables. Also inside the battery pack, huge cooling systems are required.

More practical solutions are exchanging battery packs or battery fluid exchange (flow battery). In short time 100% recharge and virtually unlimited range if packs are slowly charged at exchange hubs. .

QuantumScape will water down their claims and eventually publish a more or less standard LiFePo battery if the investors are lucky.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Thanks for your insightful comment.

Regarding 300kW charging: I thought new EVs already charge with up to 180kW DC (?), so this would "only" be a doubling in performance?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Is there any proof ? I've seen a single article. Nothing if substance. QS has been saying for years it will beat Tesla. Last earnings meeting had nothing to show. Was burning cash and keeping of research. That's wasn't too long ago.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Toyota said they are aiming for 2027 or 2028 with their solid state tech. I'm amped for when it comes but it's not really fair to compare potential 5-years-out tech with present day tech.

load more comments
view more: next ›