Category Archives: Economics

Those Clever Chinese

Economics, Education, Environment

Those Clever Chinese

BYD has unveiled a new hybrid EV design that will allow cars to travel more than 1,200 miles without recharging or refueling. The Chinese-based company plans to launch two new sedans using the new powertrain, which will further the distance between BYD and other EV manufacturers like Volkswagen and Toyota.

What’s even more impressive about BYD’s latest powertrain design is that it will debut the tech in two sedans set to cost under 100,000 yuan (roughly $14,000). That will make these long-range hybrid vehicles some of the most affordable plug-in electric cars on the market. BYD hasn’t shard exact details on the two new vehicles but should soon.

This longer range means that the new hybrid EV will be able to drive from Miami to New York on a single charge and a full tank of gas. That’s an insane distance to be able to travel without needing to stop to fuel up. This, of course, isn’t the first time BYD has upended the Chinese auto market with huge price cuts.

7-Eleven 7Charge EV charging network© Provided by BGR

The company sold three million cars last year, according to The Business Times, with almost one million sold this year alone. Those are big numbers, and this new powertrain is likely only going to increase the amount of BYD cars driving off the lot going forward.

Global automotive manufacturers continue to try to find ways to push adoption of hybrid and electric vehicles in an attempt to cut down on the amount of fossil fuels needed to power the millions of cars found on the street every year. This new hybrid EV has the potential to turn more towards the EV side of the market.

Sodium Battery Update

Broken in the USA, Economics, Environment, Science

Sodium Battery Update

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a high-power hybrid sodium-ion battery that can be charged in seconds. 

Sodium is considered nearly 1000 times more abundant than lithium. Therefore, sodium-ion electrochemical energy storage devices are more appealing than traditional lithium-ion electrochemical energy storage.

Led by Professor Jeung Ku Kang from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the research team integrated anode materials typically used in batteries with cathodes suitable for supercapacitors.

The combination helped the battery to achieve high storage capacities and rapid charge-discharge rates. The study indicates that the battery can be a viable next-generation alternative to lithium-ion batteries.                                                                                    

Hybrid sodium-ion energy storage device

Comprising the newly developed anode and cathode, the assembled full cell forms a high-performance hybrid sodium-ion energy storage device, which crosses the energy density of commercial lithium-ion batteries available in the market. According to researchers, the device exhibits the characteristics of supercapacitors’ power density.

“The development of a hybrid battery with high energy and high power density requires an improvement to the slow energy storage rate of battery-type anodes as well as the enhancement of the relatively low capacity of supercapacitor-type cathode materials,” said the team in a statement.                                                                                                                                                        

Sodium batteries can fulfill an increasing demand

Salt batteries: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/technology/scientists-make-breakthrough-in-production-of-salt-based-battery-technology-this-process-makes-it-easier/ar-AA1nF2YR?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=f94d02a42bd34c7dab303c7464fd9352&ei=15

The battery may fulfill an increasing demand for low-cost electrochemical energy storage devices with high energy density for prolonged operation on a single charge and fast-chargeable power density to meet a wide range of applications ranging from mobile electronic devices through electric vehicles (EVs) to large-scale grid systems.

Currently, available Sodium-ion energy storage systems are poor in rechargeability as they have a low power density while providing a relatively high energy density. Currently, two types of sodium storage systems are available, sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and sodium-ion capacitors (SICs). Therefore, researchers focused on sodium-ion hybrid energy storage (SIHES) cells. 

SIHES can use the different potential windows of capacitor-type cathodes and battery-type anodes. It has attracted a lot of attention because this storage system, in principle, could simultaneously allow high energy density and fast-rechargeable power density.

According to researchers, the SIHES can achieve an energy density of 247 Wh/kg and a power density of 34,748 W/kg. Professor Kang said that the research represents a breakthrough in overcoming the current limitations of energy storage systems. He anticipates broader applications across various electronic devices, including electric vehicles.

It’s likely to be useful for rapid charging applications ranging from electric vehicles to smart electronic devices and aerospace technologies.

Co-authored by KAIST doctoral candidates Jong Hui Choi and Dong Won Kim, the study was published in the journal Energy Storage Materials.

Story by Adrien BERNARD

A significant advancement in battery technology could soon revolutionize smartphone and electric vehicle technologies. Researchers have developed a new sodium-based battery capable of recharging in seconds, providing a promising alternative to current lithium-ion batteries.

🔋 This battery recharges in seconds: the revolution for smartphones and electric vehicles?© Provided by Techno-Science

Sodium batteries aren’t new and have historically had many drawbacks. Scientists have combined materials for anodes from conventional batteries with cathodes from supercapacitors, creating a new type of sodium-ion battery distinguished by high capacity and rapid recharge capabilities.

Sodium, being far more abundant than lithium, makes these new batteries potentially less expensive and more sustainable. However, previous sodium-ion batteries had lower performance in terms of power and energy storage capacity compared to lithium-ion batteries and required longer charging times, limiting their applications.

In this new study, researchers aimed to overcome these shortcomings. They developed an innovative type of anode with ultrafine iron sulfide particles integrated within sulfur-doped carbon and graphene, thereby enhancing conductivity and energy storage. For the cathode, they used a “zeolitic imidazolate framework” (ZIF), a porous crystalline structure that combines metallic ions with organic molecules, thus improving the battery’s charge and discharge speed.

The complete prototype achieved an energy storage capacity of 247 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg) and could deliver power up to 34,748 watts per kilogram (W/kg), far surpassing existing technology. Additionally, the battery maintained its efficiency and performance over more than 5,000 charge and discharge cycles, suggesting enhanced longevity critical for applications such as energy storage on the electrical grid and electric vehicles.

Source: Energy Storage Materials

What Voters want

Broken in the USA, Economics, Government Issues, Health Care

What Voters want but Congress will never approve:

 Almost 100% of voters want lower health care costs. Per Capita Healthcare costs are the highest in the world, despite not being even close to the best. In the USA about 1/3 of the costs are paid by the Government (Medicare & Medicaid), 1/3 by companies via benefits, and 1/3 by patients in the form of deductibles, premiums, and co-pays.

The issue that we have failed to address is the COST of Healthcare which is more than double the EU average. As of 2023, our per capita cost stands at over $13K. Compare this to many other “developed” countries, chart below:

Location20182019202020212022
 United States10,44710,85311,91612,19712,555
 Canada5,3375,2235,8796,2786,319
 Denmark5,3075,3605,6976,3726,280
 New Zealand3,9134,2504,4694,9216,061
 Ireland4,8774,9765,3785,8616,047
 Finland4,3304,3844,6155,2525,676
 United Kingdom4,1884,3894,9985,4675,493
 Iceland4,2364,3184,6325,1075,314
 Japan4,5544,6114,6204,8995,251
 South Korea3,0673,2913,5904,1894,570
 Czech Republic3,1293,2723,8044,3034,499
 Spain3,4273,5283,7164,0874,462
 Italy3,4963,5653,7534,0434,291
 Portugal3,1343,2243,3553,8304,162

Numerous political contributors have their hands in the bountiful healthcare pie: The Drug Industry, the Legal industry, physicians, hospitals and the Insurance Industry. In addition, the structure of the system is inefficient and broken. Solutions are available but they would significantly reduce political contributions.

Support for Term Limits is universal among voters and breaches political, geographic and demographic divides. Eight-in-ten voters, 80%, approve of placing term limits on members of Congress (House & Senate).

Campaign Spending ((70 – 85%) [depending on the party] of campaign financing comes from either a small number of large amount contributors or from Political Action Committees. PACs are controlled by special interest groups. Special interest groups have a very targeted agenda and often it is not one that benefits the common good.)    Most Americans favor spending limits for political campaigns. Roughly seven in ten U.S. adults (72%) say that there should be limits on how much money individuals and organizations can spend on political campaigns. Just 11% say individuals and organizations should be able to spend as much money as they want, 

  • Two in three Americans — 65% — say that they trust the government less because big donors to Super PACs have more influence than regular voters. More than two-thirds of all respondents — 68% — agreed that a company that spent $100,000 to help elect a member of Congress could successfully pressure him or her to change a vote on proposed legislation. Only one in five respondents disagreed.
  • More than three-quarters of all respondents — 77% — agreed that members of Congress are more likely to act in the interest of a group that spent millions to elect them than to act in the public interest. Only 10% disagreed.
  • Americans overwhelmingly say that the cost of political campaigns makes it hard for good people to run for office. More than eight in ten Americans (85%) say this is a good description of the U.S. political system today, including identical shares of Republicans and Democrats.

 The Majority (60%) of voters favor the popular vote over the Electoral College for Presidential Elections. The EC fails to provide “proportional” representation.

I could not find research on Congressional perks, but a vote around our “coffee club” table was unanimous. Members of Congress should receive the same vacation, healthcare, and all other benefits as the rest of Government workers.

Again, I was not able to find online research regarding Political Lobbyists, but If I was king, they would be outlawed.

One other issue I could find not polls on was the length of time allowed for campaigning for national elections. Again our coffee club was unanimous that campaign periods need to be restricted (shortened). My suggestion would be 3 months.

One final issue is the so-called “Flat Income Tax”. Not surprisingly, the consensus among voters has not been favorable. Democrats are less favorable than most on this because proposals have advanced a very “regressive” approach which places an increased burden on the lower and lower to middle Income earners. The solution to this is simple, initiate 3 to 5 flat tax brackets based on Gross Income with higher income earners paying a higher %. All itemized deductions would be eliminated. Only short-term capital gains would be taxed at the same rate as income. Long Term Capital Gains and Dividends would not be taxed.

An example of a married couple filing jointly (% are just suggestions):

Income range                      Flat Tax Rate

$40,000 – $99,999                  5%

$100,000 – $249,999         10%

$250,000 – $499,999         15%

$500,000 – $999,999         20%

Over $1,000,000                25%

The economic benefits of this approach are enormous. It would eliminate costs for activities that do nothing to advance productivity. The IRS could be reduced by more than 80%. About 90% of taxpayers would no longer be required to file a return as their tax would be paid automatically by payroll deduction.  Tax preparation costs would be almost eliminated.

One final comment. House members are elected for only two years which I propose is ridiculous. Staggered four-year terms (one-fourth of the positions each year) would be much more productive for our country and save millions of dollars.