Fundamental engineering limits aside, fusion progress competes with battery progress, and we put a lot more money into battery research.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't most large infrastructure projects become more expensive over time?
I mean more expensive in inflation adjusted dollars.
Once we get it going it will attract lot's of investment, global competition, and mass production. Every fusion reactor you build is essentially a money printing machine and capitalism excels at optimizing the production of things like that.
The amount of progress over time is a bell shaped curve. For a period of time after the technology becomes practical, it will get more funding & smart people involved. During that time most of the major advanced in the tech will be made. This phase may last a long time. After much of what can be done with it is discovered and optimized, the amount of progress will slow down.
Ah, yes, thank you. I was thinking about the far side of the bell curve after most of the easy gains have been made and bureaucracy sets in.