Thanks Ralph 126, Surprise Surprise Arizona edition
Via Bloomberg, a lithium battery has exploded at an "energy storage facility" in Surprise, Arizona.

Authorities are Shocked Shocked Shocked and demanding investigations.

Idiots. You don't need to investigate. Everyone knows that lithium batteries are inherently explosive.

The only ADVANTAGE of lithium over nickel-iron is lightness. Lithium may be justified in miniature equipment like portable cellular telephonic devices, though I don't know why anyone wants or needs such a device. I've managed to survive 69 years without one.

Lithium is marginally justifiable in automobiles, though again the lightness doesn't really matter in an automobile, since it's still impossible to "fill up" a lithium battery in a few minutes.

The electric vehicles of 1910 used SAFE nickel-iron batteries, which were unquestionably heavy (but not as heavy as lead-acid). 1910 electrics needed several hours to charge up, and could drive a couple hundred miles on a charge. 2019 electrics are NO FUCKING DIFFERENT. The lightness allows idiots to have their idiotic neck-snapping acceleration, but idiotic neck-snapping acceleration still doesn't counteract the innate and unsolvable disadvantages of electric power.

1910 electrics had two uses: Heavy trucks and short-range city runabouts. Those are STILL the best uses of electric vehicles, which means that nickel-iron is STILL the best battery.

As for the Surprise Surprise storage facility, it's a fucking FACILITY, which means it's in a fucking BIG BUILDING, which means it can easily be HEAVY AND LARGE. There's ABSOLUTELY NO REASON for lightness in a permanent facility, and there's PLENTY OF REASON for safety and long-lasting permanence in a permanent facility. Nickel-iron gives you both safety and near-eternal function with minimum maintenance.

Labels: Emersonian justice, Entertainment

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