One more thing I didn't think of. When you had mentioned plate orientation, I didn't think of your drawing as an overhead view. If the view is from the top, and you are not talking of stacking the plates, the only drawback I can see is structural strength issues with the plates. The key factor is going to be surface area. Keep in mind there is always 1 more negative plate than there is positive and there are separators between plates. All of which take up "real estate" in a battery. Your Idea would work, but would it change capacity?
Eric.
