But what do you think? Would you want to drive an EV that required battery swapping? Thanks Morning Brew for my daily news briefing - sign up for free here bit.ly/mbundecided And if you liked this video, be sure to check out Exploring Massless Energy Battery Breakthrough ukposts.info/have/v-deo/b6J7mpWlapiUkX0.html

If they are super light with super high energy density, but require specialists to swap out, then they sound like they are perfect for aircraft.

Biggest elephant in the room: what's the roundtrip efficiency? How much energy is needed to recycle the battery for each kWh of the battery?

I'd like to see a hybrid approach using both the aluminum air batteries for long-term storage and, perhaps smaller, lithium ion batteries. That way if you run out of aluminum air battery, you can still recharge. It's always good to have some recharge capability on board for regen. This hybrid approach would be way better than what we call hybrids today!

9:03 Imagine missing the fact that your long range gas tank is almost empty and you run out of gas. How much harder is it for a service to deliver a battery than to deliver a can of gas? And recognize, delivery of a battery is like delivering a complete full-up of gas, not just a gallon or two of gas. If this is implemented, the infrastructure will adjust and running out of aluminum will be no different than running out of gas. And if I’m designing a system for a car, it would have two “cells”, exactly as shown in the video, so you could swap out half your capacity while running on the other half. That way, the half way point is your trigger to find a new battery pack, not the empty mark. When I started driving many decades ago, my dad stressed that it costs the same to keep the top half of your gas tank full as it does to keep the bottom half full, so I already see the the half way mark as time to refuel. It’s not a difficult concept to learn or follow in your daily life.

The obvious thing to do is to build a vehicle with 75 miles of range on lithium ion & 500 miles on aluminum air. Then all your daily driving can be rechargeable, & you dip into the aluminum for long trips. Battery changes are minimized down to once or twice a year.

First off, I’m a marine engineer, and the thought of replacing the huge fuel tanks with stacks of shipping container sized aluminum air fuel cells in the same space would be great. Fuelling would be fast with no worries of spills probably using cranes and it would eliminate the diesel or heavy fuel generator side of the diesel electric setup. Win win… even if only shipping were to benefit from this tech. Big thing is price per battery change. It’d have to be much lower than overall cost of fuel and engine replacement. Here’s hoping.

We'll have growing pains like this as we move forward. My Dad grew up in the 1950s and 60s. Because of poor lubricants and tolerances capable in the cars at the time, he was used to cars needing an engine rebuild every 50-60 thousand miles or so. The 100, 200, 300 thousand mile car engines today still are amazing to him. We'll probably experience something similar with EVs. We'll have range anxiety while our kids will wonder how we became so traumatized.

It sounds like a good alternative for city buses. They could figure out how long between swaps and do it back at the motor pool. Especially for places that might lack good power infrastructure.

At first I thought it is stupid to loading up the swappable batteries onto trucks and carrying them to swap stations because it is a waste of resources, but then I remembered we have been doing the exact same thing with Petrol. Therefore I think it will boil down to the energy density. With a 1000 mile capacity, I would roughly be making a visit to the swap station every 3 months, which is awesome actually. As long as the proposed solution instructed a significant increase in energy density it is a strong candidate.

I think this would be a great addition to a lithium ion battery as a sort of range extender. For 90% of your driving you just have a small lithium ion battery, but if you want to do a long trip you get one of these installed before you leave and suddenly you have like 1000km of range.

Wow! My first job was research in Al-Air batteries almost 42 years ago. The exact same problems, especially with regard to corrosion of the Al. We approached it by playing with alloying agents. This worked to a degree, but not nearly as successfully as the MIT approach. The video really took me back. Thanks for making it.

Yes, a recyclable battery swap every few thousand miles instead of daily charging… count me in! Many people would be interested in this after all conventional ICE cars need periodic oil changes and people put up with it.

This looks like a better option for Electric Airplanes. High Density for point-to-point locations, then swap at the other side. All the infrastructure for swap + storage of the pack would be at the airports/terminals. Hopefully the recycling/manufacturing would happen nearby as well. Battery swap for cars would be a no-go for me, it could possibly make sense for long-haul trains or trucks, but I don't think regular cars need the range as much.

It could work, though I think a combination of Aluminum and Lithium batteries would be best. You could recharge your lithium pack normally, but insert an Aluminum pack for road trips.

I could see using these as a "spare tank" where the electrolyte is dumped into the battery only after you end up stuck and need to go another 50-100 or so miles. It might be an affordable way to have emergency range.

If the "refueling stations" are just a machine that does the swap in a few minutes, then the not-rechargeable thing doesn't sound so bad. Didn't Tesla hype that idea at some point?

The idea of it being like a aux tank for current lithium batteries isnt bad. If you plan to go on a long trip, throw one in, get there and swap it out when you are heading out again.

If there were two batteries, and the system was designed to switch as the first one dies, then vice versa, convenient swapping becomes much easier. Not to mention, effectively doubling the range, or allowing for half sized batteries.

"When you run out of juice " have you heard of roadside assistance, 😉 they can bring you a module (I presume the batteries will be modular) to get you to a swapping station. ICE vehicles don't need to be towed to petrol stations either when they run out of fuel. 😊

Reprocessing the spent aluminum from aluminum oxide is effectively just restarting from aluminum ore. Making aluminum from ore is an energy intensive process so I wonder whether the ratio of energy required to make the batteries to the energy available in the batteries is comparable to recharging lithium ion batteries. If there could be savings there, maybe we should consider this option, as it would simply be energy that, instead of being transported over wire, pipeline, or tank, is moved by freight. Instead of gas stations or recharging stations, we all go to our local aluminum reprocessing station and exchange our used batteries for new ones.

Not rechargeable, 80% degradation after a month? This sounds like a “solution” an oil company would get behind…

This seems like an excellent option for things like planes, trains, and boats- where they all come to dedicated ports. Seems like it would be easy to build a swapping/recycling infrastructure for those. For cars, it seems like it would make for a good Emergency charger for ev's, but unless the whole auto industry went that way and they were available as quick swap universal batteries all over the place, I don't think it's a good general auto-option. I would absolutely keep one of these in my car for emergencies though (as, it would be easy to keep the aluminum separate from the electrolyte until you needed it. it would be like the E-version of a spare gas can. Also seems good for camping and such, provided there was somewhere to get it recycled/refurbished. I wonder how hard it would be to just make it so you could pull out the aluminum plate when not in use? that would help with the degradation issue, it seems like.)

6:56 _"of the same weight"_ But because aluminium is so light weight, that equivalent weight battery would be GIGANTIC in the space it takes up. It's like the "1 ton of feathers vs 1 ton of rocks" question, 1 ton of feathers takes up a LOT of room! The more realistic scenario would be a car with an aluminium battery of the same energy capacity as lith-ion, and probably taking up the same sized space (coz easy swapability will increase the size), but simply lighter weight. If this ever becomes a thing it'll be a bolt-on "500 km range extender" for your normal rechargable lith-ion electric car, that you return once it's used up. It's sort of like a 1-time use "jerry can" you'd use for trips out to the middle of the Australian outback.

I think it's interesting that an oil company is taking the plunge into electric vehicles. It seems like a smart move as it theoretically would keep the company relevant, especially since their model involves swapping out batteries at their already existing petrol bunks

In regard to running out of power: you simply keep two, or more, batteries in the car and use them sequentially. You replace a battery once it's empty thus ensuring you always have power.

One thought that comes to mind RE: the Al/Air battery running out - what if EVs were designed like PHEVs? I.e. there's a ~40 mile range lithium ion battery pack in every car, but an aluminum air battery is used as a secondary tank. You can still charge the lithium part with a plug, just like a PHEV, to spare your aluminum/air battery, and then only replace that when it's fully gone. You'll be able to "top off" and get around without the aluminum air battery, so long as it's not a long road trip.

I could see these being very viable for Commercial Fleet use less viable for Private use. These batteries seem ideal for a taxi service with a fleet of 300+ cars that are on the road for 23 hours a day with a dedicated depo for battery swap.

I feel like they would make tons of sense in applications with really structured infrastructure and logistics chains. Applications like airlines, heavy trucks, buses, railroads, construction would work well be cause a lot of those vehicles need decent range/capacity and are often weight limited.

In my opinion, battery swapping is arguably better than waiting 30+min for an EV to recharge. In fact, it could even be faster than normal gas refueling. As long as it is economically viable (and not environmentally terrible) to recycle or reuse the batteries somehow, it would not be an issue for me. In fact, I'd welcome our change to the green future and likely look at buying one of those cars.

Maybe not the most optimal solution for cars, but what about aviation?

I feel like using these in combination with lithium batteries could help with range anxiety but still maintain easy use/recharging for short distances, and the replaceable aluminum batteries would be great to add range or for more remote applications where charging might be impossible or inconvenient. Plus if the battery swaps could be done quickly there would be no major downside over fossil fuel cars (aside from the new infrastructure for batteries).

I’m most interested in the recyclability of these. How long does it take and how much energy is used to re make batteries. These sound great for trucks not passenger cars. Instead of waiting for the battery to reach zero we would replace at the end of every trip and use the excess battery as part of a larger battery use system perhaps to assist in peak shaving for EVs or other high demand cases. Also possibly a great use for rail since trip energy use variability is likely minimal.

So let's say you can go 4 times farther than a Tesla M3. The cost of charging my M3 four times is about £90 of 135 dollars, for a Aluminium battery to match that you have to lift the battery out, send it for recycling, clean it, rebuild it and ship it back to the swap station and make a profit. I can't see it to be honest. It might have a future in electric aircraft, ships and trucks but not cars.

I guess you could bring a smaller backup battery on the road and have a full spare at home? I'm curious about the how much one of these batteries would cost.

The biggest advantage I see to this tech is actually what is currently considered its drawback, recharging. One huge issue with current electric cars is all the time you have to spend waiting for recharge during long trips. By forcing battery swaps, this eliminates that. So long as swaps can be done in similar time it takes to pump a full tank (and infrastructure of battery swap stations), eliminates range anxiety.

I need to know more about the recycling process. Fantastic video thank you

I can imagine a Rivian RT1 as is, with the pass-through being used for a swappable Aluminum Air battery. You would have a vehicle with long range capacity and a smaller Lithium-ion system for everyday commutes.

You'd need 2 batteries in your EV car. When the first runs flat switch over to the second. Then you have time to go into a swap station and get a new battery before the second battery runs out. Any business that has ever run a forklift on gas bottles adopts the 2 bottle strategy.

Honestly, a supplemental/range boosting aluminum-air battery as an option in addition to existing lithium tech sounds like the right idea. You could pick up an aluminum-air pack that you can use to power your vehicle for long hauls. When it taps out, lithium takes over and you have plenty of power to get you to a swap station if needed. It just makes more sense, really.

Matt! These videos (and puns) are so good. Is there a behind the scenes video of you recording. I assume you are using a teleprompter of some kind but it feels so natural.

The energy density is impressive, but one thing you never mentioned was it’s volume. How does it compare in volume for an equivalent 85kwh battery pack?

The non-rechargeable aspect makes it DOA, no? What happens to the batteries once they're full discharged? Do they have to be melted down/recycled to make a new one? This doesn't seem eco-friendly or economically viable AT ALL.

I love the idea of battery swapping. When I tried to implement battery swapping in an engineering videogame (Space Engineers), I ran into the issue of (1) the tracking and control mechanisms to make sure the valuable, discharged battery isn't lost were larger than the size of a car, and (2) there was a rather rough clearance issue that made it very difficult to insert and remove the battery because of its size and weight.

battery swap seems for me a better solution than hours spent on charging station. Biggest issue is cost. If cost for 1kWh of energy will be lower than for current batteries than metal air batteries are winner. if not than we will still wait for something like solid state batteries hoping they will be better than current ones.

As it stands with existing charging infrastructure and battery tech, a Tesla Mode 3 LR can go basically anywhere in the US with a 20 minute charging break every 2-3 hours. When I realized that _we're already there_ when it comes to EV viability, I placed my order.

This would be great as a range booster for electric cars using a rechargeable method for sub 400 mile ranges. Just hitch a small trailer on and boom, 2000 more miles of range.

I made one like this in high-school and was amazed and the issue I mainly faces was sawping it out with hot and cold Temps it was getting deformed as well when the alkaline process began it was eating its self a bit and leaking but I went back and a inner plastic case worked better but needed to be a special plastic and the pumping the water would definitely work you would need a filter in that process and to solve the changing battery issue it see if you can do something with the aluminum so that it's like most modern batteries in cars

"Would you want to drive an EV that required battery swapping?" That is almost the same question as: "Would you want to drive a hybride EV?" A couple decades ago, if you use the word "battery" you did not mean "rechargeable battery". If you are going on a long trip it would be nice to pop in a high capacity primary cell (like the aluminum air) as a suppliment to your main rechargeable battery.

This is not a battery as much as it is a fuel cell. You're 'recharging' it with more than electrons. It's a 'battery' in that it incorporates multiple cells.

No, one of the biggest advantages of EV's is the ability to plug it in at night and wake up to a charged battery. These require swapping, which keeps you dependent on the battery supplier, and the locations that can do that work.

They sound perfect for a recharge pack for li-ion powered cars stuck on the side of the road. Just make auxiliary power connectors in the cars standard for receiving one of these packs. Then tow trucks and road side assistance vehicles could just have a bunch of these to help people get home or to a recharge station.

Battery swapping has been suggested for Li batteries too, as a way to overcome charge times. Kinda like going to the gas station and swapping out your propane grill tank rather than having it filled. I think having an emergency reserve Li battery on your Al battery car could be viable. I mostly worry about the waste coming from a non rechargeable battery myself.

Man… after 65,000 miles on my 2016 model X, I love my permanent battery. Battery swapping seems like such a waste of materials, transport and time. Charging my battery to 80% every night since 2016 and I have seen little to no degradation. I still get 267 miles today, just like I did back in 2016. If this is any indication, I can easily see my Model X going to 300,000 to 500,000 miles in 10-15 years and by that time batteries will be way more dense and less expensive. JB Strobel said recently the TESLA engines should go a million miles. He went on to say, “they’re electric, there’s not much to them and should go 1 million miles”.

In Taiwan we have scooters where you swap the battery at charging stations at convenience stores. Feels sorta similar. As long as they are relatively convenient, then I'm game.

We can use combination of Li-Ion as main battery and Aluminum Air battery as power bank. Or Aluminum Air battery as main battery and Li-Ion as a backup battery. With this approach, we can avoid cons of both batteries with only 1 major disadvantage which is cost.

Great content Matt. Keep it up!!

90% of the time you don’t need anywhere near the range of your ev. It would be interesting to see something like this available as an addition you could add on to your current ev when you are going on a road trip. Swing by the charging station for a bag of ice, beer, and a battery for the weekend trip.

Swap stations? Seriously? Can you imagine the amount of waste this would generate? Not surprising it’s an oil company pursuing it…

Just replace one when you are low! Or just carry it in your car! So damn easy.. love it!

wow... just found this channel. Amazing. Thanks!

"These batteries aren't rechargeable." - well, there's your problem, right there. In a flashlight, that's not a big deal. In a car, it is. Too good to be true? Nope. It's just not good at all.

The one battery I haven’t heard much about is the graphene-aluminum. From a glance it looks interesting but it’s still in R+D. Wouldn’t mind hearing more about it.

Really interesting to hear what alternatives are there on the battery market 👍

This is some good stuff ..thanks for such a detailed video

This is one of the most "different" battery technologies I have seen! It provides a distinct choice of advantages and constraints. No doubt that means it is highly desirable in some applications and not-a-starter for others. The key variable completely missing from this summary is battery cost. Is a replacement 60 kwh aluminum-air battery a $35 item, or is it $3000?

When you actually stop and think about it, battery swapping makes much more sense. You'd be in and out of the service station in minutes. And consider that charging station capacity is going to be a growing problem too (something we're already starting to see). Tesla didn't give up on it's idea because the charging stations didn't exist, they made it happen. If these batteries are indeed lightweight and easily replaceable, it'd probably be MUCH easier to adapt existing service stations to the work then build out a whole new charging network.

Why do you ignore that this is an explicit greenhouse gas emitting process if you recycle the batteries? You act like there is a mystery around turning aluminum hydroxide back into Aluminum. There is none. It's a process that is done when Aluminum is mined. In the end you end up using the Hall-Héroult process which releases CO2. I thought our whole goal was to avoid CO2 emissions?

I've had some thoughts about building decent DIY versions of these. Seems to me that Sodium Percarbonate would be a good electrolyte since it has high oxygen content (essentially its a chemical blend of sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide), and within the liquid itself--and while it's fairly high pH, its not so high to be dangerous (like potassium hydroxide often is). If you want to speed up the process of reacting the Al, you want to use larger surface area forms of it, rather than solid blocks. Also, I plan to put my Al particles in a alkaline resistant pouch/filter, so I can quickly and easily take it out of the liquid so that when I'm not using the batteries, I can preserve the Al--a quick rinse with water with a weak acid in it (then dry it) will really slow down the degradation. Also, carbon and aluminum react with each other--more specifically, carbon can also help to speed up the oxidation of Al. I plan to put in some highly electrically conductive, specialized graphite in with my battery slurry. Honestly, this will be the hardest and most complex part of the battery. Because I plan to make cellulose nanocrystals and then graphitize them. This will have graphene like properties, but you can make much larger quantities of uniform product in relation to the former as compared to the latter. The only issue with this, is that the common/easiest way to make cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) requires large amounts of sulfuric acid, which is not the greenest substance (but its danger to humans is way over hyped). But I'll be experimenting with using bio enzymes+bacteria to get rid of the amorphous cellulose. I already know it will definitely be a significantly slower process, but I can make up for that, by doing large quantity batches at a time (like in a trash barrel), and have a few going at different stages. Then there is the issue of the energy to graphitize the material.. Haven't fully figured out a solution for that, but I can make a super insulated heater pretty easily. I already have one partially made. Two larger flower pots, one a bit larger than the other so they fit together with some air space in between, which I put some ceramic fiber in between. Then sealed the surfaces with sodium silicate. I'll probably put a layer of Nighthawks approximate Starlite material on inside, and then wrap the outside with fiberglass and then Al foil or flashing. P.S. my eventual Al "air" (oxygen) batteries will be powering ultra light weight electric vehicles. And some of these will be unique too, since they will be a composite between bamboo, S-glass fiberglass and/or basalt fiber, epoxy with significant bio content. I also plan to make ultra light weight trailers for these out of foam/wood/S-glass fiberglass/bio epoxy, that will have solar panels on it. But these are more spring projects.

No recharge, no regenerative braking one of the things that makes EVS so efficient.

I was so glad when I discovered rechargeable batteries as a kid, never had to buy new batteries for my Game Boy again and still doing this for all my wireless Gamepads, Remotes and other stuff because I hate swapping batteries and the need to buy new ones.....now this should become a trend in cars again? I don't know, one of the major advantages for me in BEV is the possibility to load it with my own generated electricity froma solar cell - never pay for driving your car again. Think the biggest problem will be to get this into market, I don't think that many solution for BEV could co-exist and recharging is, in my opinion, still the easiest one.

For most people, there's a huge difference between one's typical commute distance and the range one would wish to occasionally have. A dense but non rechargable battery, if it worked out, could be a neat solution; instead of oversized battery packs current EVs have, one could size them close to typical commute distances instead, and add the non rechargable battery that would be dipped into only when one travels farther. Wouldn't be surprised if that could cut the battery mass to a third for similar range, and require only very occasional swapping.

Battery swapping stations has been suggested as the new petrol/gas/filling station model, even for lithium batteries due to the time required to recharge. In countries where it is not uncommon to drive 1,000 klms (600 miles) in a day this is probably the answer.

I wonder if the energy density of alu-air batteries is high enough to make electric commercial air travel feasible? Airports can be better set up with battery swapping infrastructure, and generally the energy requirements for a specific flight are calculated beforehand so they'd only load what they would need.

I can see it as an add-on when you’re going on super long road trips were you might be far away from charging stations doing some back country driving. Think cyber truck Boondocking. But the ability to recharge at home with your own solar panels is definitely a big attraction for rechargeable batteries for me.

It seems like it would be really cool to have an attachment or some sort of storage where for everyday use, you have a lithium ion battery like a tesla does, but in one of the trunks you could fit an aluminum battery for extra storage for a road trip, and that battery would be discharged first. The energy density alone makes it seem like it would be a no brainer for some niche applications, like electric mopeds or something similar.

Well, From what was described in the video, It sounds like the biggest limiting factors of Aluminum (aluminium?) air batteries is that it isn't rechargeable and that Silver Catalyst. With the exception of the cost, It reminds me of the standard Alkaline batteries that are used so often. Use them up and recycle them.

Now that I have experienced the ease and comfort of plugging in at home I will never go to any place to recharge, refuel, replace again. For those who do not yet understand the ease of at home refueling or who live in an apartment and cannot plug in at home then this might be viable.

Most people's driving patterns make the hybrid of a small day-to-day lithium battery coupled with a swappable aluminum-air battery for the occasional long range trip logical.

The "runnning out of battery in the middle of nowhere" issue I don't think is a problem. Just segment it so you have say, 8 smaller batteries instead of 1 big one. That way you can just bring one or two backup batteries in your trunk. And you can then make the vehicle prioritize drawing from whichever battery has been used the least, in order to prevent it from having a "last battery slot", which a lot of people wouldn't usually reach and so it'd just sit and degrade. I think as long as the installation of these batteries is easy, people won't have a problem maintaining their charge

Their is also wireless charging from the road, where there is a changing cable buried in the road, you cell dillweeds. And there is also libear electromagnetic induction motors using the same platform. But your right, nothings perfect.

This can be an excellent range extender for Lithium-ion EVs. You can build 4X more teslas with 80-100 mile range with smaller, much cheaper, Lithium-ion batteries for daily driving and have a backup aluminum-air battery for occasional road trips. This will be a game-changer for EVS.

This would be perfect for the Renault Morphoz. It’s a concept car that has a normal lithium battery for driving around town, but the car can expand to fit an additional larger battery for long distance driving.

Seems like this might work best in a suitcase form factor. Put it in your trunk or the car maker would have an extra battery storage compartment built into the vehicle and have a port where it can plug into your power supply for longer trips but most of the time you wouldn't even use it.

The problem with lithium ion EVs isn't range anxiety, it's cost. The batteries degrade too fast, and the price of replacement is too high. Hybrids have been around for a while now, but there are none on the second hand market in my region.

I think these would be good as an add-on system. where you have traditional lion batteries for daily use and a spot to slot one or two of these packs in for long road trips

There are two ways range anxiety can disappear, 1. Higher density/longer range, e.g., Aptera's 1000 mile range achieved by a paradigm efficiency. 2. Shorter charge time. Both are happening

you are awesome Matt the way you describe the things are amazing . love you from India

It could be a nice range-extender for low range lithium ev’s going on an occasional long trip. But it does become less interesting when 600kw quickcharging is the norm.

Ideally Id want a mix between the two systems. Rechargeable batteries for short trips and swappable batteries for long trips and quick refueling.

It's particularly exciting to hear about alternative battery tech, since the current lithium-based vehicles essentially are tethered to their home stations, unless you think 45+ minute stops for recharging are OK on long trips. I was looking at the Ford EV truck, and it sounds amazing... except when I thought of taking it out to a neighboring state to pick up materials or go on a trip, and then being stuck at a charging station for an hour before I could return. I'd be happy to swap out some packs and be back on the road within a few minutes. Another problem I see, though, is partial-capacity swaps. With ICE or rechargeable EV vehicles, you can top-off the capacity if you know you have a longer trip coming up, while with non-rechargeable batteries, you'd either have to do a mid-trip swap (find a station or carry a spare battery), or do a wasteful partial-capacity swap before the trip. In fact, this would always be a problem, since you'd never actually reach 0% capacity before needing to swap out, since you have to get to a station to do so, and that requires some capacity remaining. I'd guess multiple replaceable units would partially solve this issue, as each unit could be rotated out as it drained, rather than doing a full swap of the entire battery.

The video shows the battery bank being replaced as one of two. Most travel trailers carry 2 propane bottles -- the owner has to switch them manually when one goes empty. And a tow truck carrying an extra battery bank or two doesn't have to tow this car -- just swap batteries.

yes swop is a good idea .Just have a think you can pick up a few extra batteries for that rainy day. .or late for work and don't have time to lineup at the gas station for a pack replacement just use the extra one you purchased earlier and get to work on time

If the swapping is available at gas stations then it wouldn't be a problem. The fact that there is no waiting to charge the battery is even a plus.

If they just add a "reserve battery" that is good for say 50 miles of driving then swapping out the main battery when it goes dead is not a problem.

Two smaller batteries might work better, especially if you can limit degradation. That way you swap out the one that is exhausted while still having enough "juice" to not run out at an inconvenient time. I've heard the biggest issue of Al-air vs Li batteries is cost effectiveness.

My favorite part about Aluminum batteries is they are made from a material that is widely available and highly recyclable. You can mine virtually anywhere and strike aluminum ore. 4:20

if all the "battery" stations sell a compatible cell like it is now with the fuel stations, then I will don't mind to make the swap, we already do it on a fuel station

Easy solution to running out of charge in the road: All EVs should have a universal port that allows you to plug in an external battery. The chemistry and build for the battery shouldn't matter, just the output voltage and current potential. So any given tow company can just bring you a single use battery to plug in. Or you carry one from any of numerous manufacturers, in your car, like a you would a gas can. It could even be rechargable in a standard 110 outlet. Like those portable "generator" battery banks.

Using two batteries might be one way to fully use batteries before replacement. Once one is depleted, run on the other one until the depleted one is replaced... (Without that, batteries with some capacity left will constantly be replaced) (If a long trip is needed, both can be replaced for the trip and the partially used one can be put back afterwards to fully use it as well...)