11 July 2018
It would appear that wherever I go the subject of mining asteroids follows me like a stalker. My short answer, if anyone is listening, is that we need to get mining right on earth first.
But this is not enough to satisfy the prospectors and, literally, lunatics, who are working to nudge an asteroid into a lunar orbit and get to work.
read more...
04 July 2018
One of the simple bits of physics that even I - a definite non-physicist - can understand about electricity versus petrol as a means of powering vehicles is the issue of weight against power. That is heavily slanted in favour of petrol, which is a point the battery industry will at some point have to address fully. We know progress has been made in reducing the overall weight of batteries, and that lithium-ion cells are kilo for kilo substantially more effective than lead-acid, for example, but the reality of current physics is that the energy density of refined crude oil is many, many times better than the most efficient of today’s batteries. That impacts directly on the range of EVs.
read more...