Larry Dighera wrote (rather quoted a comment from wired.com):
http://www.wired.com/news/wiredmag/0...l?tw=rss.index
The Tesla as it stands is obsolete if it doesn't use the new type
batteries from Altair[**]. It will be the laughingstock of the
business world if it delivers its current overly-complicated
battery system, with its computers and sensors and HVAC system.

Larry, just BTW, the Altair Nano batteries this guy is going on
don't pass the sniff test very well...

Tesla isn't using them because Tesla wants to ship cars
sometime this decade.

Altair claims that WRT conventional graphite electrode lithium-ion
batteries, their TiO nano-granule electrode lithium-ion batteries
have 3X the energy density, 60X the max charge rate, and 10X
the charge-cycle lifetime.

If these batteries actually existed in a form that would allow
Tesla to ship 200 cars this year, you would think that every
single cell phone and laptop in the universe would be running
on them, wouldn't you? I mean, *I* want my cell phone charge
to last 2 weeks instead of 5 days, *I* want to be able to charge
my laptop in 1 minute, and then have it last through an entire
8-hour flight, *I* want my cell phone battery to
last longer than the phone instead of having to replace the
battery after 18 months.

But yet I can't go to batteries.com and buy one of these
wonderful batteries that Tesla is so stupid for not using.
I think there *might* be a reason for that. :-)

BTW, this press release:
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2006/12...-phoenix-moto/

seems to indicate that Altair's entire production volume of batteries
to date is 10 35kWh battery packs for $750,000. It apparently
took 30 days (well, that includes Christmas) to deliver all 10 battery
packs.

I hope Altair and Phoenix are fabulously successful, but there is
good reason for skepticism.

-Jay-