New lithium-ion battery concept

[smudger1956]

While on the conspiracy theories ? - Who killed the Electric car makes for some interesting reading.

 

[flecc]

I take it you mean the conspiracy theory about why GM killed the EV1 Smudger?

It ignores the facts, the EV1 was premature, the batteries doomed not to live up to expectations. GM were aware of this possibility at launch, hence only allowing them to be leased out. Rather than suffer the outcome of long drawn out failures reflecting badly on their reputation, they simply withdrew and scrapped them, the cost peanuts to a company of that size. The conspiracy theory ignores all of GM and Chrysler's earlier unproductive research into EVs and the release of all that information into the public domain, hardly likely if suppression was the aim.

There's a current parallel. The newly announced e-cars are in a number of cases only leased due to nervousness about the batteries and their costs. Examples are the four Renault models and the Peugeot and Citroen clones of the Mitsubishi m-iev i-car. Only Renault owned Nissan are risking selling a wide application e-car, the Leaf model.
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[neptune]

It is certainly reassuring to read about the improvements made to American Patents. However , America has a Freedom of Information Act . I wonder what the current situation is here in the UK?

 

[jazper53]

It is certainly reassuring to read about the improvements made to American Patents. However , America has a Freedom of Information Act . I wonder what the current situation is here in the UK?

We have a freedom of information act, but we have to wait 30/50 years to get access.

 

[flecc]

It is certainly reassuring to read about the improvements made to American Patents. However , America has a Freedom of Information Act . I wonder what the current situation is here in the UK?

Our patent situation, as in most of the world, was in advance of the US in having these safeguards. I think Jazper is mixing up the release of government papers, which has a 30 year time delay, with freedom of information. We can make freedom of information requests at any time, the only delay being the administration and abuse of the system by newspapers giving rise to a backlog. Such freedom of information answers can understandably on occasion have details excluded when they are a threat to national security.