This means that when it reacts with the acid, it tends to lose some of its electrons. In the parlance of chemists, metallic lead is electropositive. One of the electrodes is composed of metallic lead, the other of porous lead dioxide. In his view, when you dug deeply enough into the battery's physical chemistry, that chemistry did not explain how it worked.Ī lead-acid battery is a collection of cells, each of which contains two electrodes immersed in a strong solution of sulphuric acid. But Dr Pyykko realised that there was a problem. Indeed, it is the stuff of high-school chemistry books. Superficially, its mechanism is well understood. It was invented in 1860 and is still going strong. Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for the content of external websites.The lead-acid battery is one of the triumphs of 19th-century technology. Users are reminded that they are fully responsible for their own created content and their own posts, comments and submissions and fully and effectively warrant and indemnify Journal Media in relation to such content and their ability to make such content, posts, comments and submissions available. Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for user created content, posts, comments, submissions or preferences. Wire service provided by Associated Press.
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TheJournal.ie supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. The ‘airbumps’ found on the Citroën Cactus are flexible air-filled capsules that help your car to resist knocks and scrapes, so there’s no need to worry about car park damage and the urban rough and tumble.
The best secret stash compartment is the Porsche Carrera GT’s door-in-a-door, but a more practical example would be the storage compartment under the driver’s seat of the SEAT Ateca. In my opinion, all cars should come with at least one secret compartment for hiding valuables – or concealing your secret Haribo addiction.
Source: cars should have a false boot floor to hide objects underneath, as seen in the BMW 5 Series Touring.ĭrivers can securely accommodate small and large objects by fastening a bicycle holder on the loading platform or hiding items beneath the folding boot floor out of view from prying eyes. The back seats don’t merely fold down, they can flip up too. There are 18 different configurations meaning you can transport almost anything and even turn the seats into a bed if needed. Honda’s Magic Seats definitely live up to their name. Now, if I could just arrange for every car to have Tesla’s falcon wing doors, too…
One of the more practical design features that I love from Tesla is the magnetic sun visors found on the Model X, held on the top of the doors until you need them.Ĭonvenient, yes, but it also means the driver has better visibility when the visors are tucked away. Skoda is known for it’s clever extras like the ticket holder on the windscreen and the ice-scraper in the fuel cap, but the wisest of all are the umbrellas hidden in the doors. It’s the perfect design feature for Ireland’s unpredictable weather.
Here are just some of the features I wish all manufacturers would include as standard – and a few you should definitely look if you’re in the market for a new set of wheels. Many new cars can feel quite similar, which is why simple little extras or smart design features really do make a vehicle stand out from the rest. AS SOMEONE WHO test-drives a different car almost every week as part of my role, I’m pretty up-to-date on changes and trends in vehicle design.