Nifty. I had no idea something like this was already in the database. Added to OP.

Edit: Lux makes no sense. It's a small crystal that fits in a large turret.

And never implemented properly for good reason. As I recall there was also a hybrid charge equivilent that did EM damage on the cards but that never made it in either.

Still seeing no good reason to give lasers explosive damage crystals here, and more than I think giving hybrids EM charges is necessary.

I know this has been brought up before, but it's not yet on the list of common proposals. It usually gets shot down due to stupid arguments and people thinking it doesn't make sense. These are usually people who don't know alot about stuff.

I also know this idea will have mixed reception. Many people feel that limited damage types are a balancing factor of lasers. Or they consider it a trade off for having "unlimited ammo". But that's not really the case. Lasers do have to change out crystals, and they use an inordinate amount of cap. So with that being accepted, lets look at how kinetic/explosive lasers would actually work.

From wikipedia: "Laser ablation is the process of removing material from a solid (or occasionally liquid) surface by irradiating it with a laser beam. At low laser flux, the material is heated by the absorbed laser energy and evaporates or sublimates. At high laser flux, the material is typically converted to a plasma. Usually, laser ablation refers to removing material with a pulsed laser, but it is possible to ablate material with a continuous wave laser beam if the laser intensity is high enough."

And for the nerds out there: https://what-if.xkcd.com/13/

From this we can already see the balancing factor of a kinetic/explosive laser: higher capacitor use. On top of this, we could add a shorter range and potentially more crystal damage.

Here's some tentative stats I drew up.

T2 Ablative L
Adapted from a standard multifreqency crystal, this crystal has variable focusing properties, controlled directly by the ship's computer. By analyzing the optical properties of enemy hulls, the crystal can be adapted to ensure that the majority of the energy from the laser is absorbed into the material, with minimal energy escaping as reflected light. The downside to this is that the laser is almost completely ineffective against shields. The delicate crystalline structures used in the manufacture of this advanced crystal degrade with use, eventually causing it to shatter.
50% Reduced Optimal Range
30% Reduced Falloff Range
25% Increased Capacitor Use
Note: This ammunition can only be used by large tech level II Pulse Lasers.

EM damage: 0
Thermal Damage: 5
Kinetic Damage: 30
Explosive Damage: 15
Volatility: 100%
Volatility damage: .00050 hp

T2 Concussive L
Adapted from a Veldspar mining crystal, the Concussive laser crystal is an early prototype weapon designed specifically for breaking apart chunks of tritanium from the hulls of ships and structures. The extremely high energy energy of this laser requires it to use considerably more capacitor, and greatly reduces the effective focusing range. The delicate crystalline structures used in the manufacture of this advanced crystal degrade with use, eventually causing it to shatter.

75% reduced optimal range.
25% Increased Capacitor Use
Note: This ammunition can only be used by large tech level II Beam Lasers.

EM damage: 0
Thermal Damage: 15
Kinetic Damage: 5
Explosive Damage: 28
Volatility: 100%
Volatility damage: .00050 hp

EDIT: It was kindly pointed out that crystals like this already exist in the database:

So i read that excellant guide to turning the moon into a spaceship.
Turns out that ablation is done by EM and thermal damage to the moon.