Battery can't be li-ion. No way it could handle a C-rate of 130. Most of the time, you try not to exceed 1C. So.... I can't imagine it handling 130x that. So MAYBE LiPo battery like those used in R/C planes. But even those, I've only found a max C-rate of 60 with 20-30 being common. So.... Vonnen is asking 2x more C-rate than anything I can find. So... yeah.... it doesn't make any sense to me.

Another great question. It seems they are still early in the process but I really hope this project pans out.

There is one MAJOR thing bugging me. Batteries have what is known as a C-rate. Basically how fast you charge/discharge a cell. C-rate normalizes for battery capacity. Long story short, the higher the C-rate you charge/discharge a battery cell, the quicker you shorten its life. So say you have a battery with 5Ah capacity. If you charge/discharge it at 5A, that's a C-rate of 1. Discharge at 10A, that's a C-rate of 2. Discharge at 2.5A, that's a C-rate of 0.5. For reference, a Model S at max acceleration has a C-rate of ~5. Because this battery Vonnen is using is so small capacity, it will have a C-rate of about 130... Typically for good cell life, you typically don't want to exceed 0.5C-1.0C too much. So... not sure how long this battery Vonnen is using is going to last.

Interesting calculations. Standing half mile is pretty good IMO. Stage 2 would do less though so more power in a shorter burst it seems. Maybe they would let you do Stage 1 power with a Stage 2 battery? I'm definitely interested in this and want to test it. Going to bigger turbos and having the electric motor offset the lag plus add a few hundred lb-ft of torque sounds almost too good to be true. Easy 1000+ hp.

This is what I really want to get clarification on. If it can last a 60-130 run or more than a 1/4 mile it's pretty useful. A 1/2 mile ideally would the goal.

They didn't release the cost. Apparently worth the marketing expense.

#1 we have not seen their durability/reliability testing yet. I would assume there is testing of hazardous road conditions, if not that's pretty foolish and I agree it makes it more of a risk. #2 How often do people even hit potholes big enough and at a speed high enough to inflict significant damage? I know it happens and if you regularly encounter them then perhaps this isn't a product for you, but it doesn't mean it isn't for everyone else who doesn't encounter huge wheel killing potholes very often. Or perhaps for a track car? or car that is used primarily for motorsports and not daily pothole encountering. #3 If damage does end up happening, then it would most likely happen to your regular wheel as well, that's either a risk you bear or perhaps just like wheel and tire insurance/warranty, in the future an insurance company would provide coverage for the wheel motor. The damage will cost more to repair or replace but that just means the premium or deductible is more. pay to play right? #4 since its removable its like any removable mod you can sell it, and generally if we assume 50% then that's your true out of pocket is $6K for the whole system. You can also use it on a leased car that you plan on returning which provides an additional market of customers who want an extra boost without risking their engine warranty. The risks exist, no doubt, this is new tech area, but as technology gets better, I am telling you ALL WHEELS in the future will have motors in them, either to solely power, augment power or for energy recovery, whatever. with future super light weight motors and batteries it just makes sense.