Manhattan 2 | R&D - Battery Borrowing System

Create Big Battery Borrowing System for Cars and Buildings

Create Big Battery Foundation (BBF)

MA2 forms the Big Battery Foundation (BBF) to help coordinate multiple companies involved with large batteries. BBF is placed near Tesla in Palo Alto, CA and consists of ~25 PhD students, postdoctoral fellows and experienced engineers on sabbatical from industry (e.g. Tesla, Toyota, GM).

Swap Battery is Less than 1 Minute

BBF designs a worldwide system to coordinate the borrowing of batteries. This supports replacing a depleted battery in less than 1 minute via a mechanism built into cement under car. Car owners drive into a Battery Swap Station (BSS), swap out battery, and are charged for electricity consumed and wear on deposited battery.

Swapping Solves Multiple Problems

Swapping solves the electric car range anxiety problem, where drivers worry about juice while on long trips. Swapping reduces cost since low cost & low range batteries become more feasible. And swapping solves problem of waiting for recharge, or waiting for waiting for recharge.

Swapping Solves Home Energy Storage Problem

Homeowners install swap mechanism in their driveway and own multiple batteries. They then charge batteries with solar during the day; and power the house with batteries at night. Swapping solves homeowner energy storage problem.

Flexible Mechanical Standard

BBF defines several standard widths, several standard thicknesses and several standard lengths to support everything from a large truck to a small hybrid gas car. BBF designs mechanical sockets that grip batteries of different sizes.

Land along Highway Used For Solar

The US highway system is 48K miles long. If one places Swap Stations every 8 miles, for example, we would have a total of 6K stations. A 3mile x 60ft strip of solar along highway, near each station, would support 1000 batteries each day, which corresponds to USA rural highway travel.

Interstate Battery Swap Station’s 25 Acre Array

Instead of a strip along highway, one could devote 1000ft x 1000ft of land. i.e. 20m * 5Km = 60ft x 3miles = 300m x 300m = 100,000 m^2 = 25acres.