New Scientist has a piece about a new battery anode technology that could allow batteries to be fully charged in a matter of minutes. I don't know if this technology could be scaled up to battery-powered cars, but if it could this might be a truly revolutionary technology. Seeing as one of the biggest objections to battery-electric cars is the time it takes to recharge after use, something that could make it more like refilling the gas tank would be great. Especially if the car has an all-electric range in excess of a few hundred miles (a few minutes rest while the batteries recharge would be welcome after a long drive) this kind of electric car would be versatile enough to meet most of the demands of a regular driver.
I've mentioned before that I think batteries and not fuel cells are likely to be the main forms of energy in the future - this is yet another piece of evidence. At the very least, hybrids will very soon become the norm, and not just specialty items. Combine that with the continuing decline in prices for Lithium batteries, and soon it may be cheaper to build a electric car than a gasoline-powered car.
And you know we're approaching peak oil when you can read news stories about the price of oil "falling" to just over $53 a barrel.
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