474 Bike & Battery and ok, EVs too


At top is a German skateboard platform van/truck. Clearly, they know the old VW Van is popular.

It's not out to beat a Tesla in a race. 

It's looking to, you know, be practical.

I just think it looks very fun. In general, I think we'd all be better off with less cars around. But I can't help but celebrate the design and creativity in the genre. It's kind of weird how something that's basically all the same, four wheels and a seat, can have so many subtle expressions. 


It's always amazed me how non "car people" can look at a vehicle and not recognize the make and model. That's honestly probably a much more healthy way of looking at the world. Once we get sucked into the nuance of design, branding and all of that, we're invested. We no longer see the reality, we're seeing the story.


Apparently in the future, we're all going to get used to paying outrageous premiums for electricity "pumped" into our vehicles more quickly.

There's gold in them thar charging stations.

How long will it take to fill up an ebike?


Oh, probably still overnight, at home.



Battery news seems to be happening on two fronts. 

One is the search for new battery tech, especially solid-state batteries, and batteries that don't rely on rare earth minerals. Sodium-ion seems like a leading contender.

And the other is recycling.

Where there's starting to be real money to be made.

With real factories, or whatever you call a recycling facility.

Currently that involves taking a lithium-ion battery apart, and grinding up certain bits into powder, then shipping that powder somewhere else to be processed.

The new goal is to do it all under one roof, possibly without the powder step.

This factory in Georgia is the first large-scale effort at that in the US.

Thank you for the miracle happening in our lives.

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