The battery is what really set off the modern electronic world as we know it.
When Volta developed his battery, the first practical electro-chemical cell stack, he unlocked something that was previously relegated to mesmerizing "magic" : The electro-chemical age began with batteries and was transformed when Tesla and Edison developed ways to generated massive amounts of energy by spinning magnets through coils of wire. Tesla's designed for AC ultimately won over because of the easy ways in which voltage can be increased or decreased with AC transformers. Tesla's system made long distance transmission of high current high energy electricity practical and feasible. I have been a fan of Tesla for my entire adult life. Nikola Tesla inspired me more than any other person other than Jesus Christ.
After more than 100 years of refinement our battery technology has only improved a modest amount. While we now have small lithium batteries in our cell phones that are marvel of industrialization, the rate of battery technology improvements has been relatively slow in contrast to other facets of technological development that underwent far more rapid technological improvement. Think of a computer from 1990 and a computer from 2010. Smartphones of today are more powerful than mainframe super computers from the 1980's. We can power these handheld super computers because lithium polymer battery technology enabled the development of a thin high energy density cell. Sadly Lithium Cobalt and Lithium Manganese batteries used in most portable electronics are fragile cells that age quickly and break down rapidly. Most people with smartphones notice that their batteries perform poorly after only 2 or 3 years. That said it does not make sense to put durable battery chemistry in cell phones because small form factor and high energy density are the design objectives that are the most important. Putting cell phone battery technology in an electric vehicle does not make sense. The fragile chemistry used in phone batteries is not the kind of durable chemistry we want in electric cars.
Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) is the real technological successor to nickle cadmium batteries from the 1980's. LFP batteries are abuse tolerant, energy dense, high calender life batteries that outperform every other existing battery technology in electric vehicles. Many of today's lithium power tools use these same LFP batteries because power tools abuse their batteries. The way that a power tool is used is very similar to the way that electric vehicles place loads on their batteries. After many decades of cordless power tool development, LFP was chosen as the replacement for well developed NiCD because LFP was the first and is the only chemistry robust enough to tolerate environmental and use case extremes. While the LFP is not as energy dense as the LiCo or LiMn chemistry used in cell phones and laptops, the LFP performs much better over thousands of cycles and many years of use. After 2 years, the LFP holds up much better and continues to deliver outstanding performance.
The Tesla Motor Car company took inspiration from my hero Nikola Tesla. They named their company in his honor and now produce a vehicle worthy of the Tesla name. The Tesla Model S is not only the coolest electric car ever made, it is also the coolest car ever made. The Tesla Model S is the pinnacle of EV design technology. With superior performance, outstanding range, and a network of solar powered super chargers to access, the Model S is the first vehicle to enable truly next generation private vehicle technology. In the Tesla, as in the Prius and many other advanced technology vehicles, the DC energy storage systems DC output is inverted into polyphase AC for the final drive because AC motors are amazing; thank you Nikola Tesla!
For more than 100 years burning chemical fuel in an engine has been the defacto norm for vehicles. More recently hybrid vehicles that blend a battery energy storage system and electric motors with a gasoline engine have become popular. Even more recently practical lithium based battery electric vehicles have become accessible.
The future is electric! Batteries are part of that future and energy storage technology will always be essential for mobile electrical systems. We have many reasons to continue pursuing battery technology developments. Every facet of society has been changed by electricity. It all started with a practical battery and ever since electricity has permeated every facet of life for nearly everyone alive today. Batteries are not only practical, they are essential to every aspect of modern life.
I will continued to learn more about energy storage systems because I know that energy is the future! I have and will continue to learn a lot about batteries as I sell them. As I gain experience in the battery field, I will continue learning as if I was in school. I plan to use this knowledge to build a career path and have been re-inspired to go further. The future is what we choose to make of it!
Upward and Onward!
I pray for God's blessing on Tesla Motors! I pray that God will inspire the minds of those people that are working to improve energy storage technology. We can and we must move forward with energy efficient technology, energy storage technology, and energy technology. In this universe there is fundamentally only matter and energy. The real irony is that matter is made of bound up energy. The truth is more amazing than anything fictional. Stranger than fiction, the world we live in and existence in general exists of far more than meets the eye. Look for a deeper understanding and your eyes will open to a world of knowledge that will blow your mind. You can rise above and overcome normal. With God on your side you can become anything you want to become. Never let anyone talk you out of your dreams. You are more than the product of your mistakes. You are a unique and interesting person, you are love by others, and you have a purpose in this world: don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Life is Amazing if you have the perspective to see it that way!
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