Re: Q:NEDRA on batteries..

[Lee Hart <leeahart@earthlink.net>]

Bill Dube wrote:
> The fellow that asked the question owns a dragster. It is most
> definitely not a daily driver but is purpose-built for drag racing.
> Buying flooded batteries for this vehicle would be a waste of money.
> For the same amount of money in TMF batteries or AGM batteries, the
> vehicle would turn better times on the strip.

Good points as always, Bill. I think we agree that for a purpose-built
dragster, you need the highest performance batteries you can lay your
hands on to be competitive.

But, a lot of people who read this list are not in this situation. They
go to the NEDRA drags for fun, not to win. They race their daily
drivers, not purpose-built dragsters. Or perhaps they are building a
junior dragster for their kids out of an old go kart, an ICE starter
motor, and starting battery. Should the rules ban these people?

> ...battery boxes will deform during a collision... If the batteries
> are flooded, acid will go flying. If they are AGM or TMF type, only
> a few drops will get loose. Virtually no acid spilled is safer than
> lots of acid spilled.

A flooded battery is not a washtub full of acid. It is a closed
polypropylene box, with many separate compartments. Have you seen
flooded batteries after crashes? Car manufacturers usually locate them
right up front, with no protection. The case is often terribly deformed,
yet it still holds acid. Even if it leaks, it is usually only 1 or 2
cells that get ruptured; not every cell. You're talking about a Coke
can's worth of acid; not gallons.

In an EV, battteries are likely to be widely located around the vehicle.
An accident that ruptures any significant number of them would have to
reduce the car to shredded tinfoil.

Do flooded batteries leak if turned upside down? A lot depends on the
vent caps. In my experience, a little drips out and then it stops
because air can't get back inside.

ICE dragsters contain fuel, oil, and coolants that frequently spill.
They manage to set rules to limit leakage and clean up the spills
adequately, without resorting to banning them outright. Are you saying
that flooded batteries are intrinsically more dangerous than gasoline,
oil, or antifreeze?

Sure, batteries fail (often dramatically) when racing. But when it
blows, you're talking about one battery (usually one cell); not a whole
pack. If it blew because the cell went dead, remember that means the
electrolyte is largely water. Most battery failure modes apply just as
well to sealed as floodeds.

> You can't charge flooded batteries in 15 minutes.

The Norvik Minitcharger and Aerovironment ABC-150 (both 150 kw charger)
are fast-charging flooded fork lift batteries in these time frames right
now. The evidence is that it saves the cost of a second battery pack
(recharge during breaks instead of swapping batteries every shift), and
may extend battery life.

> You cannot use flooded batteries in an open car (like a dragster) or a
> motorcycle.

Why not, if the batteries are in a second case to contain any acid
spills? Isn't it the results that count, not the method used to achieve
it?
-- 
Lee A. Hart                     Ring the bells that you can ring
4209 France Ave. N.             Forget the perfect offering
Robbinsdale, MN 55422 USA       There is a crack in everything
phone (612) 533-3226            That's how the light gets in
leeahart@earthlink.net                  Leonard Cohen