This truck maker was somehow privy to who was buying patents and what they were going to do with them. Goodness knows what they had a patent on. NiMH batteries have been around since 1967 and are widely used. You probably own some. I know I do. Most electric cars use them. I can't even think why an oil company would want to own such patents. Isn't it odd how this truck maker knows the specifics of patent sales and what was going to happen to them, but can't name the company involved.
It sounds like he was either making a joke or lying to you. Most electric cars use NiMH cells and most of them are going to continue to do so. Just stop by any car showroom selling electrical cars and you'll see NiMH batteries in them and not a patent lawyer in sight. Is it even possible to patent a 50 year old technology, let alone suppress it?
There have been some developments in NiMH battery technology. BASF have managed to push the specific power (energy density) up to 140 watt-hours per kilogram. Compare that with lithium ion batteries where the energy density is 340 watt-hours per kilogram. As Mr Tolley said, lithium ion batteries are way better than NiMH. It's only cost that has held them back from widespread adoption in electric vehicles. As they're now widely used in consumer electronic devices, the cost has been falling steadily, making it practical for Tesla to take a punt on using them in production vehicles.
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This truck maker was somehow privy to who was buying patents and what they were going to do with them. Goodness knows what they had a patent on. NiMH batteries have been around since 1967 and are widely used. You probably own some. I know I do. Most electric cars use them. I can't even think why an oil company would want to own such patents. Isn't it odd how this truck maker knows the specifics of patent sales and what was going to happen to them, but can't name the company involved.
It sounds like he was either making a joke or lying to you. Most electric cars use NiMH cells and most of them are going to continue to do so. Just stop by any car showroom selling electrical cars and you'll see NiMH batteries in them and not a patent lawyer in sight. Is it even possible to patent a 50 year old technology, let alone suppress it?
There have been some developments in NiMH battery technology. BASF have managed to push the specific power (energy density) up to 140 watt-hours per kilogram. Compare that with lithium ion batteries where the energy density is 340 watt-hours per kilogram. As Mr Tolley said, lithium ion batteries are way better than NiMH. It's only cost that has held them back from widespread adoption in electric vehicles. As they're now widely used in consumer electronic devices, the cost has been falling steadily, making it practical for Tesla to take a punt on using them in production vehicles.