Comment Re: Solving the wrong problem (Score 1) 105
I don't suppose you did the due diligence of researching this for yourself? Of course not, you're posting as AC.
Just one problem with charging vs. refueling is the issue of transferring a given amount of energy in a reasonable amount of time. Chemical batteries have an upper limit to how much charge they can accept in a given unit of time; charging too fast can explode batteries, cables need to be substantially thicker as current requirements go up, and charge time is related to how much current you can deliver. Supercapacitors might not have the problems that chemical batteries do, but they have their own issues -- and you still need to figure out how to deliver all that current in a short time in a practical way.
Thicker cables are not as flexible, which create practicality issues. At some point, you may want to ditch cables altogether and go with some kind of fixed-point connector that the car docks into. If you don't trust the average driver to properly dock their car to a charger, you're going to need software to automate the process. Seeing how people actually park their vehicles at a filling station, I wouldn't trust humans with docking.
Charging stations are going to need some hefty infrastructure to supply the current to multiple vehicles at a time. Safety concerns will need to be addressed. On-site power generation may be impractical, at least for the energy volume required. Just one example: Solar panels are only good for daytime use, etc., and battery storage for charging EVs at a charging station during a night-time cycle will probably not work for the foreseeable future.
I'm no apologist for the fossil fuel industry, but there are definitely technical challenges to EV charging that need to be addressed. Right now, gasoline is a pretty stable fuel, it's delivered to vehicles via hoses and pumps that have been slowly improved over time, and the energy density is hard to beat. EVs and their charging infrastructure have to compete against these advantages. I think it's certainly doable, but people may have to change their expectations of what "normal" is for driving a car.
In the meantime, EV and plug-in hybrid owners are getting expensive 240V charging stations installed at home... and it still takes several hours to charge, but at least you know your vehicle is in a safe place doing it.