Better Batteries

Batteries that charge in seconds

Lithium batteries that can recharge in seconds, utilizing existing materials and technology. Granted, you'd be limited by how much juice you could pump through a given wire but that's still a heckuva lot faster than today's trickle rates.

One estimate said that in order to "charge a cellphone in 10 seconds" you'd need to pull 180 amps of power. I dont like standing next to things that can move that much current, let alone interacting with them.

I'd take a 15 minute charge at 1/100th the amperage though. And assuming some heavy duty infrastructure in the garage or at the "power station" you could get a battery powered car up and at'em in no time.

Think about that for a minute. There's a reason why gas stations arent REALLY everywhere. They are dangerous and environmentally problematic. In a world where cars run on electricity, the smart retailer would have swipe and charge terminals in their parking lots. The juice is there already, they could extract a convenience premium.

The range of the vehicle in normal commuting or errand running becomes even less relevant then.

There are huge bucks to be made electrifying our transportation grid if we can just get over the first hump.