Edison’s laboratory in New Jersey was the birthplace of many of his inventions, both those that gained popularity in his lifetime and those that didn’t (Credit: Alamy)
NOT TESLA BUT EDISON SHAPED EV-BATTERIES, 125 years ahead of its time
The eternal battle between Tesla and Edison over AC or DC has never been won, today cars are charged with both techniques… Meanwhile Thomas Edison further developed the battery (originally invented by Volta) some 125 years ago, and was faced with a very unusual by-product: hydrogen.
If you saw any EVs driving around 1900 (!) they certainly had heavy and cumbersome lead-acid batteries. Until Edison presented his new invention, the nickel-iron battery for application in cars.
But nickel-iron had some characteristics to improve. It was larger than the more often used lead-acid batteries, and more expensive. And when being charged, it would release hydrogen, considered to be dangerous and with nuisance.Unfortunately, when Edison refined his prototype, electric vehicles were out beaten by fossil-fuel-powered vehicles with longer distances before refueling.
More than a century later, Dutch engineers rediscovered the nickel-iron battery. This time in response to the need for renewable energy. And this time it seems that hydrogen, once considered a worrisome byproduct, may actually prove to be one of the most useful things about these batteries. Still nice that that Edison could see so far ahead some 125 years ago….
Edison’s laboratory in New Jersey was the birthplace of many of his inventions, both those that gained popularity in his lifetime and those that didn’t (Credit: Alamy)
