zogger
Tree Freak
Batteries, trailers, generators
--battery powered stuff for construction is just way common now, it got good enough for even big jobs. We just had a crew come over and rebuild the tornado damaged cabin here, part of which was redoing the sheet metal roof. They exclusively use cordless drills and rubber gasketed tech self tapping screws. Their "regular" work is building all sheet metal 500 foot long chicken houses and then like metal barns. That's *tons* of screws per shift.
I think with all the world wide demand for better batteries, (cars/tools/mobile devices like phones and tablets and netbooks, etc) and every university chemistry department working on them now, we'll just continue to see better and better ones every year now. So it just might not take too long. The breakthroughs with carbon nanotubes are *amazing* (I'm a tech and science and alt energy nerd, I follow this stuff a lot). We'll see those batts sometime soon, too much money out there waving in the breeze, up for grabs.
The stihl saw looks nice and obviously the batt tech is "good enough" now for that. Still spendy..but this is stihl we are talking about as well, they charge what they want, people will pay it. I would think the other saw guys will be there shortly with more reasonable prices, then the chicom knockoffs will happen..and that's where all these batts and motors come from anyway for the most part. Expect to see the hundred buck knockoffs soon.
Oh shoot, OK, here's an example how fast the tech is accelerating and getting cheaper. When prius hybrids first came out, replacement batt packs (granted, not LiIon, but NiMH) were over ten grand..it is now down to 900 bucks (for a rebuild) a decade later and they are much better quality.
As for electric cars needing a 400 mile range..naw..the solution there is what we have with off the shelf stuff, a hundred mile range is plenty for most folk's commuting, and for those longer trips, use a generator trailer.
I know if I had the new business loot, and I am not joking I think this could make some good money, I would be building those genny trailers right this second for the nissan leaf market as range extenders. I call it the modular hybrid approach. I don't like the idea of hybrids myself, having to haul around both sorts of motive devices plus two different sorts of energy storage things all the time on the same axles. That's too much weight and stuff crammed in there. Ya it works, but....
I prefer pure electric, then the trailer idea when you need to go further. The trailer could do double duty as the whole house emergency generator, job site or at the cabin genny, and could be rented for that matter for the few times a year trip to grammaws, etc, for people who rarely need to go further than a hundred miles.
--battery powered stuff for construction is just way common now, it got good enough for even big jobs. We just had a crew come over and rebuild the tornado damaged cabin here, part of which was redoing the sheet metal roof. They exclusively use cordless drills and rubber gasketed tech self tapping screws. Their "regular" work is building all sheet metal 500 foot long chicken houses and then like metal barns. That's *tons* of screws per shift.
I think with all the world wide demand for better batteries, (cars/tools/mobile devices like phones and tablets and netbooks, etc) and every university chemistry department working on them now, we'll just continue to see better and better ones every year now. So it just might not take too long. The breakthroughs with carbon nanotubes are *amazing* (I'm a tech and science and alt energy nerd, I follow this stuff a lot). We'll see those batts sometime soon, too much money out there waving in the breeze, up for grabs.
The stihl saw looks nice and obviously the batt tech is "good enough" now for that. Still spendy..but this is stihl we are talking about as well, they charge what they want, people will pay it. I would think the other saw guys will be there shortly with more reasonable prices, then the chicom knockoffs will happen..and that's where all these batts and motors come from anyway for the most part. Expect to see the hundred buck knockoffs soon.
Oh shoot, OK, here's an example how fast the tech is accelerating and getting cheaper. When prius hybrids first came out, replacement batt packs (granted, not LiIon, but NiMH) were over ten grand..it is now down to 900 bucks (for a rebuild) a decade later and they are much better quality.
As for electric cars needing a 400 mile range..naw..the solution there is what we have with off the shelf stuff, a hundred mile range is plenty for most folk's commuting, and for those longer trips, use a generator trailer.
I know if I had the new business loot, and I am not joking I think this could make some good money, I would be building those genny trailers right this second for the nissan leaf market as range extenders. I call it the modular hybrid approach. I don't like the idea of hybrids myself, having to haul around both sorts of motive devices plus two different sorts of energy storage things all the time on the same axles. That's too much weight and stuff crammed in there. Ya it works, but....
I prefer pure electric, then the trailer idea when you need to go further. The trailer could do double duty as the whole house emergency generator, job site or at the cabin genny, and could be rented for that matter for the few times a year trip to grammaws, etc, for people who rarely need to go further than a hundred miles.
Made out of cardboard/plaster/resin would piss the HSA/DOT and that two-stroke would piss the EPA off! Two birds with one stone! I would love to drive that past the EPA headquarters. 
