Friday, September 30, 2005

Lithium-Ion Under the Hood. New batteries from Valence Technologies extend the range of electric and hybrid vehicles. Expect to see a lot more of them. Plus: Truckers tank up on biodiesel ... and a 300-HP hybrid from Lexus. From the Wired News blog Autopia. [Wired News] -- if the governments could just have the vision to impose standards for automotive batteries - dimensions and connection terminals - to allow interchange, competition, and innovation -- they would be doing a great public service.   Imposing standards was missing in the small battery field and now you can clearly see the consequences the every watch, small electronic device, and cellphone having a "special" battery -- little recycleing and toxic waste.  There is a real place for governments in regulating commerce with well designed standards and this is one area where it would really matter - a rechargable electric power box standard for transportation - smallish and stackable into little power grids so that the box and connectors is inviting a large market of applications in trasportation so the innovation has a big payoff (for travelers and the environment). --- BL 9:24:09 AM      Google It!.