Chrysler is betting millennials will want to be as connected in their cars as they are at home with a new concept car that mixes high-tech gadgetry with a head-turning design.
The Portal concept was unveiled on Tuesday at CES in Las Vegas as Chrysler's proposal to the millennial generation and is designed to be a comfortable "third space" for a generation that is just as much at home in a coffee shop as they are at home or work.
[...] On the tech side, the Portal hits all the right notes when it comes to the current crop of concept vehicles: A large sweeping digital dashboard with many of the internal surfaces doubling as flat screens, and internet connectivity throughout.
There are an impressive 10 gadget docks so the six passengers will never be fighting over who gets to charge their device, and Chrysler said speakers direct audio to each seating zone so it's possible to each listen to their own music.
[...] The Portal is a battery electric vehicle with a 250 mile range, and supports fast-charging that can deliver a 150-mile charge in 20 minutes.
Setting aside its intended market, the car has good features that would appeal to a lot of customers.
[One thing to note is that this is a concept car, not intended for production - Fnord666]
(Score: 2) by Kromagv0 on Thursday January 05 2017, @03:03PM
Except lead acid, those things can really take punishment
Not really, while better than most they don't hold a candle to Nickel–iron batteries [wikipedia.org] in ability to take abuse and neglect. Those batteries really last a long time but they have a lower weight to charge density.
T-Shirts and bumper stickers [zazzle.com] to offend someone
(Score: 2) by Unixnut on Thursday January 05 2017, @03:48PM
That is very interesting. Thanks a lot for link. I do find battery chemistries fascinating. There are so many! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battery_types [wikipedia.org]
One of these days I will attempt to make my own aluminium air battery, just to see if I can make some decent power out of it.
(Score: 2) by Kromagv0 on Friday January 06 2017, @03:33PM
A promising battery for grid level storage that can take abuse is the Sodium-Sulfur battery [wikipedia.org]. They do require being kept hot so not something you want your regular end user maintaining but they have a high energy density and also don't really wear out as they are just 2 liquids.
T-Shirts and bumper stickers [zazzle.com] to offend someone