Appliances: The Future is Battery Powered

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NO, it's not happening in the future. It's NOW.

Petroleum vehicles and equipment are like the wringer washers of the 1960s or the candles of the 1920s here in the U.S., reel-to-reel tape players of the 1970s, or asbestos of the 1980s

In the 70s and 80s I remember these signs and they used standard flood lights, had a cord and a noisy gas generator at the base if there was no electric near by to plug into.

Now, they are brighter LED, silent, have a small solar panel, are reliable, have a battery and charge controller and probably even have a charging station where the workers can recharge their phones.

bradfordwhite-2023033116574305287_1.jpg
 
If batteries are the future, we need to get our fucking asses in gear with a 100% recycling rate or this will cause far more environmental damage than burning fuel. Currently, only 5% of lithium batteries are recycled vs a 90% recycle rate for lead acid batteries.

 

I'm not letting go of my hydrocarbon producing tools anytime soon.
 
Still the problem is non standarized batteries between all these maker of garden and household tools and appliance. Heck even within a makers lineup there may be some models with a whole other battery type/shape. And then 4 or so years down the road you go to buy a replacement battery and it's NLA, this is super common. Whereas your plug in electric tool will probably last forever.
 
#21

True.

If we don't have already there should be a board or group that standardizes this stuff.

The tool manufacturers do seem to be doing a "one battery for all" thing now. I was in the hardware store last month talking to the guy who works there and he also spent like $3000 a couple years ago to convert all his tools.
He says he wish he'd waited because he's got all these diff. chargers and batteries and the batteries can go NLA.

Now the diff. manufacturers have displays of like 90 different tools and they all use the same battery.

They need to take that several steps further and have it a universal battery for ALL tools, regardless of manufacturer
And that should be applied to all appliances regardless of manufacturer.

I mean one can always change how the battery technology works as long as the plug is still the same.

It's like a car battery. I can buy a 12 volt battery and it will fit just about any vehicle regardless of make or age and we know that that technology has changed.
 
I think some of you are missing the point.

 

 

In a nut shell. This is not about any of the cheap, rechargeable batteries currently on the market. This is about providing a solution to millions upon millions of polluting gas stoves being replaced gradually with battery backed electric stoves. Stoves that could operate with any of our 110volt outlets, thus saving millions of apartment buildings the huge cost of converting to 208volt outlets. 

 

These new storage batteries are just beginning to come out.  And with time, they will become far more affordable, reliable and durable enough to press into service in all stoves and eventually all major appliances. Think of it as a far cheaper, decentralized Power Wall. Conceivably these batteries would be able to operate your appliances for a few days in the event of a power failure. It goes without saying these batteries would be fully recyclable after a long service life.  A win-win in my book.

 
 
ALL of my yard care equipment is battery powered----LOVE IT!!!!!No more noisy ,stinking,high maintenance gas motors.I have EGO self propelled push mower-and an EGO 42" ZTR ride mower.These outperform gas mowers I had from the past.The idea of battery powered major appliances doesn't bode well.For those the 240V use is better.And now have an electric car-Toyota BZ4X SUV style car.Love it!!!Just an overnight charge from its 120V charge cord it does just fine.Can get 250 miles per full battery charge.This car does fine for me since I don't go on long car trips.
 
Guilty as charged.

I still haven't read those links in the first post (too many of them to bother with...) but I get the idea now - fit a stove top with built in battery, which can recharge slowly, at a rate that is supported by a single, standard power outlet, to run the short term high current needs of an electric cooktop. It sounds like a clever solution, though expensive.

 

Probably more useful in USA with 120V supply, less necessary here with 240v at all power outlets.

 

You could just buy a couple of plug in induction hotplates like these...



www.thegoodguys.com.au

Tefal Express Induction Hob IH720860

Shop Online for Tefal Express Induction Hob IH720860 and more at The Good Guys. Grab a bargain from Australia's leading home appliance store.
www.thegoodguys.com.au www.thegoodguys.com.au

 

Two of these side by side should be enough, and only cost from AU$150 to AU$300.

 

and when you aren't using them, you can put them away in a cupboard and get back some bench space.
 
Reply #18

I know there is no such thing as free energy. And if you look at one of my posts in the past you'll remember I said battery technology will only go so far before the laws of physics makes it hit a brick wall and thats the end of that. Batteries will always be toxic to mine and recycle to the planet and are not the answer long term or short term. Bad enough we have as many as we have in the world without adding to them.
 
Unlike gasoline and diesel engines, I don't think batteries are on the end of their development. I expect a new generation in the future that can store more energy in a smaller unit and hopefully will be environmentally friendly too.

That said there is a future perhaps for the combustion engine when a fuel can be found that has little to none impact on the environment. Some people talk about synthetic petrol, but I'm not too sure we want to go that way. What we surely not need is more petrol and diesel engines.
 
Reply #30

Louis, I'm still holding out hope for hydrogen for both automobiles (FCEV) and for aircraft. Airbus has several prototypes and Rolls-Royce claims success in testing a hydrogen fueled jet engine last November. Volkswagen appears to have trashed the idea but Hyundai, Toyota and BMW are still investing heavily in the technology.
 
Chris,

Hydrogen is a great solution for cars, trucks and aircrafts. But there are a few problems, the biggest is that a lot of energy is lost producing hydrogen. And then when the hydrogen has to be turned into electricity again, again a lot of energy is lost again. So because of that it's way better to use electricity directly than hydrogen whenever it is possible. [this post was last edited: 4/1/2023-14:48]
 
Hydrogen relies on petroleum and is made by petroleum producers so.... of course, we can anticipate who is desperately trying to push this impractical, inefficient narrative.
 
Another way to produce hydrogen gas is to run an electric current through water. This in turn will produce both oxygen and hydrogen gas. I remember doing this in a chemistry class years ago.

www.energy.gov

Hydrogen Production: Electrolysis

Electrolysis is the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The reaction takes place in a unit called an electrolyzer.
www.energy.gov www.energy.gov
 
Sean,

 

Well, a push reel mower is not maintenance-free. The blades need periodic sharpening, for example. But I agree is a lot more environmentally friendly than either a gas or an electric mower.

 

It IS more exercise, and takes longer to do the same plot of grass. Push reel mowers have pretty much gone out of style. However, I might have one here that would work just fine on my front yard. I just need to remember where I stashed it!

 

Tell the truth, for a small suburban front lawn, a gas mower uses perhaps a half gallon of gas. I have more important things to worry about, LOL.

 

 

 
 
Reply #36

I mean the blades have to be sharpened from time to time but maintenance free in terms of no oil changes or having to make repairs or adjustments to the carburetor or points though small engine equipment usually uses a magneto for the ignition source. Indeed, reel mowers do take a bit more effort to use however there are models such as the Fiskars momentum that are a bit easier to use since they are geared differently than a older style of Scotts reel mower and aren’t much differently than a gas powered reel mower. Yes, reel mowers are old technology since they are the original lawn mower however, they have evolved with the times since most have hight adjustments and some even have a grass catcher that can be attached so there’s no grass clippings.
 

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