Lithium-ion is what the capitalists want you to use.
Nickel-hydrogen is three times heavier per unit of energy stored. Oh no. Sounds terrible. But it’s –
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Cheap. $83 per kilowatt-hour (https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1809344115)
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Lasts 20,000 cycles compared to 400-1200 for lithium-ion, so far fewer will have to be produced and disposed of.
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Materials. This is the big one. Lithium is rare. It costs a lot of energy to mine, and mining produces a lot of wastewater and CIA coups. Nickel is abundant and cheaper, and causes less damage.
Nickely-hydrogen batteries are for applications where you want something good enough and care about the planet. Lithium-ion is when you need luxury and don’t care about externalities.
What about volume?
Hold on so electric vehicles will only last 1200 days and then you have to buy another huge battery?
