233: Age Defying Battery - CATL’s Latest News

Matt and Sean talk about the longevity of energy storage and the feedback on CATL’s latest announcement around their energy storage system. It’s not a forever battery, but do you think it is moving things forward?

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00:00 - Intro & Feedback
09:29 - CATL Battery Discussion

[TheRealMrGordons]

I will never get tired of battery videos

[erfquake]

Great conversation vids! More please! (Matt, take it easy sometimes, we'll still be here, no presh) Tom Scott interviewed what he considered the last inventor for invention's sake, Percy Spencer, inventor of the microwave oven. From a melted candy bar in his pocket, to warming up frozen hamsters "humanely", he went on to create the appliance we all have in our kitchens today. It was not the goal but the journey.

[jaymacpherson]

The market is a marathon, not a sprint. Well said.

[bvalantinas]

I think James Burke showed the value of unconnected advances leading to monumental changes in his "Connections" series from decades ago. In rewatching, I was struck by an episode where, with lab gear in tow, he climbed a hilltop to demonstrate the concept of GPS without, I think, himself not really understanding the implications of everyone soon having that ability at their fingertips.

[Dindonmasker]

More battery videos!!! I can't get enough!!

[jimthain]

To give an small idea of the value and power of electrical storage, I'll pass along this anecdote I picked up from a video a few years ago.
There is this small island off the coast (I believe it is the southern part) of Africa.
This island has never had dependable electricity. Even with a fuel generator, they had problems getting, and affording enough diesel to keep their small grid up.
Enter solar, with batteries, which had finally become cheap enough for them to install such a system.
Well, now for the first time since electricity was discovered, this island has RELIABLE electricity.

The anecdote leads me to a couple of questions: I've heard that there are micro grid projects in just about every African country. Does this mean that
Africa could do with electrical grids, what they did with phones? (With phone technology they bypassed land lines and went straight to cell technology.)
So could they bypass huge interconnected grids, and have instead bunches of micro grids running off renewable energy and energy storage (of some kind)?

[lindseyhatfield]

I bought a set of beard trimmers from China, it lasts for 3 or 4 trims in a month (maybe an hours running), it charges up in about 20 seconds.

[shawnduffy]

At about @24:33 ...
I think another issue that prevents any form of new energy technology coming to market or to market quickly is the lack of R n D.

Most company investors and or governments look at one thing, "Line go up.". They don't care about what's new if it can't be as lucrative or better than what currently exists.

However, some countries are looking past the revenue and at the larger picture. In those places they are mostly renewable and less reliant on fossil fuels. They are putting resources into the new technology and advancing at a quicker pace. Dan, the commentator mentions this about China's LFP market at 50%.

In America we are too happy to continue to push fossil fuels because of profits. There's not a govt belief in renewables. (this has changed some recently but no where near other countries.)

So maybe those complaining need to look at those factors. A company can only innovate at X rate if they have the resources to do so. Those resources could be jobs, new tech to help manufacture the new tech ... so many things.

Less people complain about fossil fuel issues than they do about renewables. "I don't want a solar farm on that empty field." "I don't want to see wind turbines off the coast of my million dollar house/vacation time share." 🤷‍♂ Add the tech itself, "Heat-pumps are terrible!" "Gas stove > induction!"
See what I mean? Fossil fuels ruining the planet people disbelieve.

[erniecolussy]

I don't think that you do too many videos on batteries. But part of that is I think of what you are often talking about as energy storage not batteries.

For batteries I think electrochemical reversible reaction for storage. For hot storage, cold (ice) storage, hydro pump storage, compressed air storage and other I don't think batteries. I think energy storage.

[robertcoutts]

That's called base science ... normally done by universities as nobody else can afford to stumble down blind alleys.

[johnseberg]

Sadly, the bit about the wired bluetooth headphones broke my brain and you guys sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher for the rest of the episode.

[thisisme]

21:00 it certainly does matter depending upon use case. Please don't be so flippant. If we want longer lasting batteries in a phone or car the size and weight become a major consideration.

[milohobo]

I don't want wired bluetooth earbuds, I want regular earbuds! It makes me suspect that they removed the headphone jack because it wasn't proprietary!

[ChrisR-xswp]

Sorry guys, it's not a marathon. If you have a fantastic idea for the best battery ever but it takes you 30 years, you'll be bankrupt and somebody else will have your patents for peanuts.

It's a series of dashes where you need to be in the running enough to generate revenue.

[nykerno]

When storing energy on gasoline, diesel, coal etc. is no longer an option we need different options in battery chemistry and other storages. Even when electric is more efficient. Just think about fossil fuels usage.

[Little_Dog]

The bigger topic than talking endlessly about new batteries. Should be. Can we finely get rid of AA and AAA batteries? I am so sick of getting a new electronic device and realizing I need 20 AA batteries to power it. A small Lithium battery has way more energy storage. And is rechargeable. Yes I know they make rechargeable AA and AAA batteries. But they are junk in comparison.