We are continually being promised cheap batteries to run cars & store power. Well be careful of believing those promises.

I had a feeling that Lipo batteries were getting more expensive, but had not bothered to check it out carefully. Today I did.

I needed to replace a small 1300MaH 3 cell battery for a small 950mm wingspan remote control plane. I was a bit shocked when the price was $26.60. I went through my PayPal account & found just under 3 years ago I bought the battery I was replacing for $10.99 from the same supplier. Yes our dollar value has dropped, but no where near this much.

Feeling this was a rip off, I checked other suppliers, & all were very similar, but all dearer. A quick bit of math tells me this is a 142% increase in less than 3 years, or 47% a year. Incidentally 3 years life is about average for these high capacity batteries.

I certainly won't be holding my breath waiting for the price of electric cars, or their replacement batteries to come down.

anyone with half a brain can see how much more power costs are now that billions of dollars of tax payer money has been spent on renewables. Those in the scam lie about temperatures, lie about sea levels and lie about science. Why would those pushing electric cars be any different. The most dissappointing aspect is the conservatives who know this has been a scam but have been to gutless to stand up to the woke revolution. One wonders how much the Turnbull family have scammed the tax payers for. Prices for power will continue to rise and no difference will be made to temperatures although be sure many more birds will be chopped up by ugly windfarms. Yep the Chinese are a threat but not nearly as much as the dumbed down generation who love to virtue signal.

Only having half a brain may I
My camera battery costs near 50 bucks, it was half that three years ago
However my stand alone battery's running back up power cost about a third of what my car battery did
An unfortunate truth
Highlighting some do not understand renewable energy

Some people extrapolate nonsense from nonsense, Hassy your are a master at that very thing.

A battery to run his toy costs $X, whatever, now it costs $xx, so what. What can we extrapolate from that, the cost of batteries to run a future electric car are going to skyrocket! The fact is the bloke selling the toy batteries knows the brain capacity of the purchaser, so he charges accordingly.
BTW Hassy, check out the cost of AAA batteries down at the local Chemist, wow! you can extrapolate from that, that the cost of a car battery must be a million bucks.

Sounds like Paul might have tried to build a remote control TOY some time, failed, finding it too difficult or his limited lefty brain capacity & doesn't since like such things.

Yes Belly, led acid batteries for my cars, or your back up power, are only slightly dearer, but you can't run an electric car on them. Too big & heavy.

Lipo batteries on the other hand are what is used to run an electric car. The cost of them is skyrocketing. I did think that you as a ham radio operator might know the difference, but apparently not.

I checked a couple of Hong Kong outlets for Chinese gear, & found their prices similarly increased, in fact even more so. I doubt the Pauls of this world would understand the effect of supply & demand. China is now struggling to keep up with demand for Lipo batteries, as they are used in many applications. However it is the electric car market that is straining both their mining & manufacturing capacity.

I'll go back to my hobby, I particularly enjoy flying my Sea Fury & Vampire, models of planes I flew while in the navy to defend my country, it seemed a worthwhile activity back then. Having discovered far too many Pauls in Oz, I wouldn't bother defending the place today.

Re battery types. A US group did a survey of all possible combinations
of the element tables and found that we are already using the best
possible combinations. So there will be no further major break
throughs in battery types.
Different energy storing techniques might be another matter such as
chemical storage.
Hydrogen is another way to go, but the source to wheels efficiency
is hopeless. There are also difficult fire regulations to overcome.

For residential use Nickle Iron is promising having a lifetime in
excess of 40 years. Short circuit damage resistant, can leave unused
for years and restart without hassle. If I was going to install a home
battery that is the way I would go. Cost higher I believe, but life
time makes them a real possibility.

Wow, Hassy, and from whom were you defending US, people like yourself? All that in model air planes, I'll be damned! Boys and their toys. Enjoy.

Paul1405,
What are your credentials regarding contributing to society for it's benefit ?

Well Indy, since you asked,

I have worked all my adult life, in productive employment paying my share of taxes. I spent many years as an Engineer in several fields, having qualifications in mechanical, structural and production engineering. Years spent both as an employee and for a time operating in partnership a successful consultant and design business, employing others. Then after about 30 years, and the death of my father, who had worked over 50 years "in the trade". I moved into more interesting pursuits dealing with people, but still managing to work part time at what I knew best. Married to my first wife, a career woman, had two boys. Divorce after 35 years, seen me come out with a relatively large amount of assets, mostly property, but it was not all plain sailing, had my ups and downs. Married to my second wife, who I met through social work, a totally different person to my first, I think she reflects the change in my life.

I'm not against you receiving an Aged Pension, even though I don't. What I oppose is the blinkered nasty attitude towards others, including the 95% of the dreaded public service, but of course its really 95% of people you oppose, those not like YOU! But otherwise I think you are a decent bloke.

What else do you want to know?

BTW I'm a pacifist, and i never felt the need or desire to be "defended" by people like Hassy, although he claims he did it anyway, and implies that I should be grateful in some way to him, I'm not so that might be a failing on my part.

Typical Greenie/leftie bit of work, Paul has no answer to my advice on increasing cost of batteries so attacks the messenger. & don't worry Paul, I certainly wont be defending the likes of you anywhere, any time.

Of course you're a pacifists, most nasty gutless wonders are.

Paul,

oh dear, you were doing so well there for a moment.
May I elude to where you went wrong?
The fact that you say, "you are a pacifist and did not need defending", is a very cold, thoughtless and callous comment towards those who, possibly, unwillingly did put there lives and their families futures on the line.
I am sorry, believe it or not, I was young, could only contribute to the cadets level, I was not accepted into National Service or never got to see any action, for that matter.
As someone, even though born here, but with foreign lineage, I felt compelled to want to "sign up", willingly, disappointed I never got to "do my bit", and sometimes feel unworthy because of it.
So Paul, whether you think you were so special as to not need protecting or whatever, you can say that now, now that we ended up on the right side of the war, because of people like Hassy.
Your condescending, arrogant attitude goes a long way to understanding who you really are, and now we know.
By the way Paul, Indy asked what societal benefits you offered, NOT what benefits YOU personally gained from society.

I had noting to say about Hassy's military employment until he posted this;
// flew while in the navy to defend my country, it seemed a worthwhile activity back then. Having discovered far too many Pauls in Oz, I wouldn't bother defending the place today.//

All I asked was; //Hassy, and from whom were you defending US, people like yourself?// US being all the Pauls in Oz, including me. Something I can not recall asking for, defence. Hassy claims he was defending, who were attacking? Hassy like the local garbo was employed by the taxpayer, voluntary I assume, and that's nothing that requires any special gratitude, or some meritorious citation from others.

Paul,
in all fairness, you "threw the first punch", with your comment maligning Hassy over his well founded and justified comments about price gouging of domestic, leisure and recreational use batteries.
Your comment was unwarranted and unfounded, as Hassy's comment was not a slur demeaning anyone, only a criticism of the egregious and greedy behaviour of certain sales and retail attitudes towards the consumer today compared to yesteryear.
The comment I refer to is the one you posted on Friday the 23rd at 8:56AM, on page 1.

Show me one, just one (1) Greenie who practices what they preach ! Just one !

Come off it Indy, you suck off the public teat with an aged pension, and then generally malign others, like your oft quote figure of 95% of public servants are lazy good for nothings, how hypocritical! Now its the greenies in general, the vast majority, like PS you wouldn't have a clue about.

Of course we dislike bureaucrats Paul, we have most of us, seen how useless they are. Just a quick glance at the EU confirms the problem of having them in charge of anything.

When the Campbell government sacked 15,000 of them here in Queensland, it sped up the function of government, as there were less "IN" boxes for stuff to sit in for weeks. That the exit of so many was totally seamless indicates how useless they had been.

ALTRAV I did mention that I checked direct suppliers from Hong Kong, Malaya & China. Their prices were all similar to the local supplier, & infact many were higher. This probably indicates where our prices will be after the next bulk shipment arrives here.

Chinese capacity, &/or the supply of raw materials is becoming tighter as volumes increase, & I expect a serious price increase is likely to follow.

Paul1405,
I have paid taxes for 52 years. How long have you been contributing ? Judging by your rhetorric I can only assume that your mentality is such that we, who have paid for the pension of those before should now forfeit ours for you lot ?
I would like to say you prove your worth as most of our generation did & then see how you'll go without a Pension. So far you've given no indication of where you get your income from & how much tax you pay !

You must be kidding Hassy,

//When the Campbell government sacked 15,000 of them here in Queensland, it sped up the function of government//

No it did not, then they employed 20,000 "consultants" on huge salaries, mostly mates of the LNP. 'Hard Boiled' Newman and his cronies were so incompetent, you wouldn't trust them to run a chook raffle. Their employer, the people of Queensland, gave then the sack at the first opportunity. Now there was a bunch of useless public servants (governments are also there to serve the people).

Indy, I've paid tax for near on 50 years, I'm 66 and paid tax last F/Y and will again this year. Too many assets to warrant and aged pension, although the wife gets a Supa payment from NZ of about $900/month. I most likely paid much more tax than you, I being employed in high paying, high skilled occupations, whilst you were most like employed at menial low paid tasks. That is possibly the reason you are now on welfare, of course you may have pissed the little you got up against the wall (I recall, you did say previously, the last pension rise wasn't enough for another schooner). You get aged pension, I don't, explain that one. Your mate Hasbeen is probably creaming it as well, and blowing it on kiddy toys, I don't know

I most likely paid much more tax than you,
Paul1405,
By your own description of your line of work you're part of the Commercial welfare group. Writing everything you can off at tax time. Hardly any tax contributed in comparison to normal blur collar jockeys.
So, it's you that's on welfare & more of a burden on the rest with your employer, probably public service salary beefed-up Super, rather than any wage earners whom you refer to as welfare recipients in that condescending manner. I would not be at all surprised if you weren't exposed at some stage as a full-blown fraud !

In my world, the doctor is as important as the garbage collector;
is as important as the car mechanic;
is as important as the phone and internet technician;
is as important as the person working in coal mines.
- And so on...

Whilst I understand that some jobs require specialised skills that often take years for a person to become an expert, and I'm grateful they do;

In the bigger picture all these people are just as important as the other, because without just one of them, I couldn't live the way I do.

Yes AC must agree, but the thing is not all are rewarded at the same rate, the doctor receives greater remuneration than the garbage collector. The perceived greater impotence of one over the other is something we have to live with. There is none of that all shall receive according to their needs stuff.

Although there are anomalies, example, someone exceptionally good at hitting a little white ball around a paddock, and giving others menial entertainment value is often rewarded far greater than the doctor who saves lives.

To bad Indy, I am not in your kennel at all. I suppose the 'puter you time your posts on is thanks to some 'Computers for the Needy' program.
I'd say if your social welfare was not in your bank account the next fortnight, you would be up to 'Centrelink' in a flash, and wanting action from a public servant! AM I RIGHT?

I once had a mate who was ashamed of his retirement pay. It did not stop him taking it, but he was ashamed.

You see he was a bureaucrat in the tax department. For most of his life he was a middle ranking bureaucrat, not greatly liked by his superiors, as he was not a boot licker in any way. In fact he was a bit prickly at work I believe.

Now I don't know if it is still the case, but his retirement package was a percentage, 70% I believe, of the average of his last 3 years income. This would be fine, if excessive, but it is much more excessive in fact.

You see like many bureaucrats, he received 12 promotions in those last 3 years, as those above him retired. This increased his salary over the last 3 years greatly. So much so that 70% of his last 3 years average meant his pension if that is what it is called, was greater than his gross salary 3 years before retirement.

Now I believe he enjoyed ocean cruise ships, & trips to Europe about as much as I do, but his wife loved them. So he spent half the year doing things he'd rather not, to please her, & spend all that money. To give his wife her due, she spent the other half year traipsing around motor race tracks, & visiting some of his old mates now scattered all round Oz.

I think he enjoyed his retirement, & I know I enjoyed their visits, but I did find it hard to feel sorry for him.

Hasbeen,
He is one of the Australian swamp people. I know quite a few of them too. I'd be interesting to see what Paul1405 thinks of them when he so openly calls us old age pensioners as Welfare recipients ?

Indy, I read your pathetic justification for your welfare payment, and I don't agree with it. Would you support my idea of a 'Seniors National Service'. Those that can contribute should contribute, get em' out of gods waiting room, and away from the bingo and the booze and into useful pursuits. What's stopping you from earning your keep, only a few hours each week, picking up papers and doing a spot of weeding down at the local park for example. You could even whip around to 'Centrelink' and empty the waste paper baskets for those hard working public servants, now that's character building, and you learn news skills as well.

a 'Seniors National Service'.
Paul1405,
You must be blind & oblivious because were you to take a good look around you'd see the countless seniors working on various volunteer organisations all over the country. It's the likes of you who are nowhere to be seen when it comes to help others !
Does the term hypocrite mean anything to you ?

Got it wrong again Indy, it was through volunteer work I met my wife. Yes many seniors do indeed do valuable volunteer work, my wife is still at it, with my Seniors National Service scheme that work would be taken into account.

I'm talking about those bar flies hanging around gods waiting room waiting for the next welfare payment to get another schooner. You did say the last pension rise was not enough for you to buy an extra beer, did you not?

Paul1405,
So, how come your halo isn't showing above your user name ?

Not much chance of you earning a halo is there Indy? I didn't say me, my wife has always done far more than I when it comes to volunteering, almost 70 and she's still at it. You bang on about others getting cash payments out of the taxpayer pot, but you are doing the same thing, now that's being hypocritical. And its public servants, the ones you malign so much, who have to ensure your welfare is in the bank. You run down 95% of public servants, ambos, police, military people, nurses etc etc, all part of the 95% you prattle on about, are they not. If you say they are not, then you're wrong they account for more than the other 5%.

Paul1405,
Sounds like you're a BA holding public servant trying to defend & justify yourself. I'm over you no more replying to you until you grow some you know what !