individual,
ISTR the vanadium battery was an Aussie invention. But vanadium is expensive. It would be good if we could use something cheap like iron instead, but the government doesn't support science as much as it used to, so the battery research has gone overseas.

Coal obviously is cheaper and works, fact. Renewables are much much more expensive as well as not being consistent, fact. We find ourselves with people in charge preferring the wrong way rather than the right way and making us pay more and more for their wrong decision. I expect this madness to continue until some politician loses his job or seat and then watch the run for the exits!
Can someone tell me who gets the money for renewable certificates? I wondered about this and then had this horrible thought of some slimy lawyer/merchant banker type having a fund and trousering all the money! Tell me it ain't so Joe!

Alan,

"As for nuclear-powered steam not nearly as far-fetched as it might seem given it"... has been around for years and years, in nuclear powered submarines and surface ships.

The harsh reality all the dreamers don't want to face is that this whole debacle about electricity, whether for vehicles or for our homes and industry, is that, it is all a pipe dream.
It all works in the minds of those who have convinced themselves that pollution is going to kill every living thing on the planet if we don't stop it's production.
This is a nonsense, it just is not possible.
The govts have chosen to go where the votes are, and CC is a great vote getter.
Renewables MIGHT be the way of the future.
It is not the way any time soon.
The key to any product for the masses is quantity.
There is simply no viable method of gathering and supplying a sizeable quantity of electricity with the current options.
Even if we used all the main sources being promoted, eg; wind and sun. On the other hand firstly shoot the greens and all those who are pushing renewables and, for the foreseeable future go with the tried and true, proven power generating plants such as coal and nuclear, we might just get through this next phase of development involving EV's and so on.
Remember, continuous, reliable, cheap power.
Renewables cannot deliver even one of these requirements.
We are talking base load to peak load.
We cannot drive a car that only goes for distances of 50 to 100k's between charges.
It is simply un-acceptable.
No, come back to me when we can buy a car for approx $15,000 to $20,000, and it will go for 400 to 500k's before re-charging, and I can re-charge in under 5mins.
But until then stop dreaming and pushing a fanciful and childish agenda.

You are probably right about a farm hand will invent a good battery individual. It is often interesting what prompts a great invention. or improvement.

I was involved many years ago in the marketing of a very highly efficient heat exchanger. I had the engineering department at QUT authenticate it's transfer capacity to facilitate exports to both China & Japan. The professors were blown away by the thing. It was many times more efficient than any thing they had even dreamed of.

It was invented by a wheat farmer out back of Dalby.

Why was it invented? His wife would not go camping with him, unless he provided a hot shower. He used waste heat from his car engine to heat the water via his heat exchanger.

The Patent has run out now, they have been copied in China & I think here, but it was a practical bloke with a need, not a researcher or engineer who invented it

Altrav your wish is my command.
The Hyundai Kona, available next year will do 400km on a charge.
Word is the price will be $45,000.It is Eu 26714 in Norway.
The Kona has a 64Kwhr battery available as an option.
The problem with EVs is that they are about $20,000 dearer in Australia
than in the US and EU.
The Renault Zoe car costs $65,650 ! I priced it yesterday.
Alan B, your charge in 30secs means you will need a crane to lift the
plugin charging cable. Work out the current needed to charge a 50kwhr
battery in 30 secs.
You will find at 400volt dc it needs a 15,000 amp cable.
Smaller batteries of course will mean lower currents.
True most cars so far have smaller batteries, around 30kwhr, but the
drive for greater range means larger batteries. Still 7500 amp cable
will require aid to lift it and struggle it into the socket.
Also there would be a major problem to dissipate the heat from the battery.
The charging point will need a high voltage supply especially if there
are several fast chargers.
So do not ever expect to see chargers faster than some 15 minutes.

Still all that aside the Nissan Leaf is the number one seller in Norway.