A crowdfunding campaign for an “instant hybrid” battery technology system was recently launched by the startup Verd2GO. According to an email sent to EV Obsession, the system is based around the idea of being able to pick up and drop off batteries at automated kiosks (think of something similar to a RedBox, I guess).
The batteries are reportedly quite easy to install, and to change out; and the status of your battery’s energy reserves can be easily monitored via a smartphone app (which can also find nearby kiosks for you).
While the idea is certainly a compelling one, execution will of course mean everything — pricing, in particular, seems as though it could be a stumbling block to my mind.
Here’s more via the recent email:
Verd2GO, a revolutionary new clean energy start-up, has invented a portable, patent-pending, nano-battery technology that will change the way people collect, store and share energy, as well as power their vehicles and homes on-demand.
Instead of having to charge their cars for hours, drivers can swap depleted batteries for fully charged ones, extending their electric vehicle’s range. Batteries will be available from 24/7 self-service kiosks which doubles as energy storage units – charging during off-peak times of unused and cheap energy, or storing excess green solar or wind power. During demand times, these kiosks manage peak demand charges and also provide ancillary support for the local power grid. Docking stations allow people to power their house with rented renewable energy without installing expensive panels on their home.
“With our network of kiosks, people can utilize renewable energy to power their cars, homes, and devices on demand,” stated Sunny Sanwar, the inventor of Verd2GO. “Our system decentralizes energy and treats it as a product that consumers can take when needed. Our mobile app allows users to control their Verd2GO batteries remotely, monitor the lives of their batteries, their personal emissions and find kiosk locations no matter where they travel. Consumers can even make money selling back their unused energy. Much the way the DVR changed people’s relationship with their television, Verd2GO will change people’s relationship with energy. Verd2GO allows us to address energy issues today, as opposed to waiting years for more efficient solar cell, or novel battery technology to hit the market.”
It’s not completely clear yet how this will actually work once put into practice (I can think of a number of potential issues just off the top of my head right now), but I suppose that it’s an interesting idea.
Those interested can find the indiegogo campaign here.
Image Credit: Verd2GO
I always wondered why no one did this before? Must be an energy density/cost issue. It is basically a DC-DC converter to match the pack HV port or something. But do they set up first and expect the market to provide demand, or only supply to high demand areas? Its gonna be tough
I only skimmed their long Indiegogo page but the whole thing smells strongly of yet another Indiegogo scam campaign to me. No concrete details, no math, nothing much that really even sounds sensible. But they’ve got a lot of dreamy talk about needing to do this to fight climate change and having it done by 2017. Yeah right. Carry a heavy battery on a flight so I don’t have to huddle around an outlet to charge my phone? C’mon. I don’t think a flight will even let you carry on a big lithium ion battery. Pick up a battery while I’m out shopping to power my home instead of using solar? How long will it last? How expensive to install their rack? How much to rent batteries? How many batteries provide what power? How heavy are they to carry around? Carry around a rack of the batteries in the trunk of my EV? _Maybe_ if the cost was cheap but I can’t see them ever getting costs down enough and wide enough coverage to be actually useful. They’d need a heck of a lot more funding.
We’ve already had serious companies try to establish a network of battery swap stations and go bankrupt. Such a network might be useful for a decade at most, after which point it will be clearly cheaper/faster to use advanced batteries. Even today you can charge a Tesla 191 miles in 60 minutes which coincides pretty well with when people want to stop and eat, so the need for battery swap tech is already questionable. It might give some Leaf/Bolt owners the ability to make long trips, but they’ll be getting long range and (presumably) faster charging in a couple years as well. If they don’t build their own fast charging network, they can always buy in to Tesla’s. It’s simply not worth building battery swap on any scale at this point.
I think the flight battery was the smaller ones they are giving out to backers, like the 16,000mAh ones.
Also, using “advanced batteries” is more than just a statement. Commercialization of new batteries into OEM products takes a lot longer than we would like.
Yet-Ming Chiang from MIT comes up with them all the time. I still have to see Tesla or even Nissan use them in even a concept car.
I am sad Tesla has gone away from the swapping technology.