Further proof that the real problem with electric vehicle battery tech is simply a matter of scale.

It’s widely understood that for high-performance RC vehicles, on the ground and in seriously demanding applications like aerobatics, the only real powerplant option is a fuel-burning engine, whether one that burns glow-fuel (”nitro”) or gasoline. This has been in great part for the same reason that gasoline is popular with full-size vehicles — energy density. Though significant energy is wasted when burning fuel for mechanical power, the enormous useable energy that can be stored in a given mass of fuel has always been so significantly greater than the energy capacity of batteries that electric RC vehicles haven’t stood a chance in direct competition. Well, now that’s changing. Lithium polymer, the same cell chemistry that powers your cell phone, is changing the game for electric power in the RC hobby, and it’s only a matter of production scale that keeps the price of larger battery packs prohibitive for larger applications.

Take another look at the page linked above. Notice the link for Kokam LiPo batteries on the sidebar? Now take a look at Pro-EV’s Electric Imp, a converted Subaru Impreza using larger cells from the same manufacturer to power dual Siemens 3-phase AC drives — one for each end of the car. The result is an electric AWD autocross car that’s silently winning trophies.

Outrageously expensive? You bet. But it’s just a matter of time before Lithium Polymer, and the still advancing state of the older Lithium Ion chemistries (powering your notebook computer, and soon your cordless power tools) become affordable in larger sizes and quantities. And maybe then we’ll see the story forshadowed by the changes seen today in electric RC vehicles, unfolding on streets in the real world.