billvon said:
When you see 600 breathless pronouncements ... it's hard to get excited about pronouncement #601.
I understand. I stop reading pronouncements when the start getting "breathless", and generally do not give marketing hype much credence. Nor do I expect to see the conclusions I read in the latest scientific papers to make it to the commercial world any time soon.
But if this is a con, it's a very strange one.
A raft of very 'production ready' looking prototypes; a clearly defined set of performance claims; (projected?) pricing that is neither so low as to make it implausible, nor so high as to be out-of-reach, pretty much in-line with other technologies with similar capacity (but lesser performance); a company that has been around for a couple of years without having (previously) said anything remarkable, nor much of anything that I can find (stealth?); no kick-starter begging bowl nor even overt signs of them seeking rounds of venture capital, but rather (the appearance of) established deep pockets already on-board.
If a con, it is hard to see the end-play.
Eventually they will have to deliver product to people who will tear it apart and report their findings, and the main players all seem to be clearly identified and resident within the reach of the law.
And when you can find scientific papers from 2,3 & 4 years ago discussing lab made hybrid LIC constructions that deliver very similar sounding performance in terms of specific energy, specific power and project cycle life; it doesn't seem such a stretch that someone with deep pockets and good knowledge has funded the move from the lab to production.
The only downside of what I see is that it would seem they are set on being very controlling of the technology -- if that's what this is. Selling it only as a part of value-add products tailored to specific markets; rather than components for others to (re)combine in interesting ways. Much less, to enthusiasts in quantities that make sense for e-bikes.