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Re:Chevy Volt: Is This Our Future? by gamble on Wednesday June 29, 2011 @03:39AM (#2708709)
It's essentially impossible to charge a battery in the same time as filling a gas tank. The currents involved would be immense, and besides requiring heavy-duty conductors and power electronics, such high currents would incinerate any lithium-ion battery on the market today in spectacular fashion.

Battery swapping is probably the most practical solution, but developing a standard battery pack that can be used in a variety of models and easily swapped - not to mention the logistics and tracking to distribute them nation-wide - would probably take longer than developing higher-capacity batteries.

Re:Chevy Volt: Is This Our Future? by ericd on Wednesday June 29, 2011 @04:18AM (#2708754)
Perhaps a breakthrough in capacitor power density? Otherwise, yeah, swapping seems like the most realistic option.