John Rumm wrote:
On 18/10/2012 14:08, Doctor Drivel wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
On 18/10/2012 10:59, Doctor Drivel wrote:

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...

Couple that with a 60% CCGT power statin and you have around 50%
gas-to-wheel which is better than any IC engine will achieve.

Indeed - but given the lack of energy density of the best
batteries, still well short of liquid fuels.

You obviously have not heard of supercapacitors.

You obviously have a short memory. I mentioned that they have even
lower energy densities than batteries.

That can clawback ALL the kinetic braking energy and give it back
out in acceleration.

They will store pretty much all of the electrical charge presented to
them and hand it back later. That does not mean that all the kinetic
energy is actually captured in the first place.

About 95% plus.

However, its not really relevant to the bigger question of storing
that energy in the first place, for which caps are not well suited
since their capacity is low.

They supplement batteries. There is R&D to combine the two into one package.
R&D is ongoing to improve supercaps to the point the size of a battery can
store about the same charge. When this happens chemical batteries are near
dead.

Shanghai is using
them now to run EV buses.

Which is irrelevant unless you want a car than needs a charge every
120 seconds.

It is not irrelevant It shows they work, even enough to propel a bus.

No one is disputing they work, but don't try to fool anyone that they
are a solution to the feeble energy density of batteries.

The are solution to kinetic energy clawback. And improving

There is good argument to use them augment the performance of
batteries (especially where you have kinetic recovery), but it does
not help increase their capacity by any meaningful amount.

In city driving the kinetic energy reclaim means a lot.

They can also be used for trains, charge at each station with kinetic
reclaim as well, and save the cost of expensive 3rd rail or overhead
wires. Full electric commuter trains are viable without full line
electrification. Overhead wires are ugly.

Trains are already better suited to electric propulsion anyway. You
can even afford to devote a whole carriage to motors and storage if
you like.