The world’s largest EV battery maker is powering up something even bigger. CATL successfully tested a 4-ton electric plane powered...
  • WalnutLum@lemmy.mlEnglish
    211·
    4 months ago

    I seriously doubt the viability of this, but I’m looking forward to being proven wrong.

    • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      41·
      4 months ago

      Possibility for private planes, but none for commercial planes. Just imagine a commercial passenger plane or cargo plane that needed a giant amount of electricity and like 12 hours of charging in between every flight.

      Then, for safety reasons you’ll need to have two batteries in case one goes bad.

      • Aux@lemmy.worldEnglish
        102·
        4 months ago

        You can simply do battery swaps. Plane refueling already requires heavy machinery and industrial scale. I bet battery swaps will be faster than refueling.

        • TimeSquirrel@kbin.melroy.org
          51·
          4 months ago

          And, no more tedious fuel calculations, just charge it all the way up, it doesn’t add any extra weight to do so.

            • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
              4·
              4 months ago

              That article you linked is utter trash, but it is correct about battery weight of a charged battery…technically…very technically…barely.

              Like, a 4,000 mah lithium battery fully charged should weigh about 30 picograms more than when dead.

              To put 30 picograms into perspective; a single 5 inch long human hair weighs around 0.04 grams. Well that’s 40,000,000,000 picograms.

              • jacksilver@lemmy.worldEnglish
                2·
                4 months ago

                Haha, that’s fair I didn’t really vet the article as I’ve read about the concept and know it’s true (although as you point out only on a technical level).

  • Holyginz@lemmy.worldEnglish
    15·
    4 months ago

    You know. I’m tired of seeing images of ceos and executives who have done none of the work for technologies alongside a picture of said technology. Show me a picture of Devin and the other engineers who spent all the hours figuring it out instead.

  • kippinitreal@lemmy.worldEnglish
    205·
    4 months ago

    This is really great. Wendover Productions made an excellent video about electrification of flights a while ago.

    Now the real question is: will world governments allow this Chinese technology into their countries? Protectionism is a valid *public reason to deny it, but I wonder if denying Chinese tech under the guise of national security a last ditch attempt from big oil lobbyists?

    Or is that too far fetched and I’m just way to cynical.

    • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1410·
      4 months ago

      Protectionism is a valid reason to deny it

      No it isn’t. Protectionism is jingoist bullshit. Always has been, always will be.

      I wonder if denying Chinese tech under the guise of national security a last ditch attempt from big oil lobbyists?

      Definitely. The leadership of both major US parties are pretty much owned by the fossil fuel industries.

      Even progressives advocating for the Green New Deal won’t say the part about gradually eliminating fossil fuel use out loud out of fear of fossil fuel industry lobbyists and the politicians they own doing an AIPAC.

      Or is that too far fetched

      Not at all.

      • kippinitreal@lemmy.worldEnglish
        31·
        4 months ago

        Valid *Public

        Sorry, I think I chose the wrong word, I mean Public i.e., not conspiratorial.

  • Cocodapuf@lemmy.worldEnglish
    11·
    4 months ago

    So what’s the battery chemistry? Also, do they actually have an aircraft design, or is this just battery news?

  • COASTER1921@lemmy.mlEnglish
    125·
    4 months ago

    The US really doesn’t understand that there is simply no competing with these batteries. To try to block the import of them is only going to set our own local industry back in their ability to compete in the global economy. And ironically the BMS systems for CATL are still using American semiconductors, so the US still gets some revenue from their massive expansion.

    The most viable competitors to CATL are all in China too. I’d be somewhat supportive of a CATL specific ban due to their notoriously terrible employee working conditions and crazy NDAs/non-competes, but to ban all Chinese batteries in the US would be a huge mistake.

    • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.worldEnglish
      52·
      4 months ago

      Its simple. Now that China is in the lead, do what China did to the west. If you want access to the markets you have to build a plant in the US and share IP. That’s what the EU just proposed to China’s EV manufacturers.

      It’s good for everyone. Consumers get cheap batteries, China gets Western Markets, and Western companies get Chinese technology to drive the next wave of competition.

    • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      24·
      4 months ago

      There just needs to be a cemented in place ban that can’t be undone for at least 20 years.

      There’s nothing being made in the US for batteries because you can’t beat China in price and companies aren’t going to put six billion dollars and 5 tears of construction I to making a battery factory if they don’t believe the ban would last long enough for it to be worth it.