My opinion is that the industry has gone in the wrong direction with batteries. Cars should use swappable rechargeable batteries swapped by robots at the charging station. Faster pit stops and simpler batteries (no need for water-cooled, etc) and cheaper cars. And elimination of concern of battery warranty.
Guessing you're a non-EV owner. I've owned a Tesla for the last 6 months. Here's my experience: * It charges at home, begining the charge at 12:30AM just after the rates drop. It charges to ~240 miles of range. * For the 4 days I've wanted to go futher, charged upto 100% and that solved my problem 2 of the 4. * Other 2 days, I stopped at a charger along my way on a road trip. there was a place to grab food and take a…
Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4
421–430 of 650 posts
Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4
#422Can someone living in an apartment with no charging point at their space get an electric car?
I had my Model S about 18 months before I could get a home charger installed at my townhouse. I spent a lot of time in the Whole Foods parking lot, charging at 12 mph. Not recommended. Later, I discovered a Level 3 charger (which required a $500 adapter to use), and I'd just go catch a movie once a week while my car charged at 100 mph.
Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4
#423My opinion is that the industry has gone in the wrong direction with batteries. Cars should use swappable rechargeable batteries swapped by robots at the charging station. Faster pit stops and simpler batteries (no need for water-cooled, etc) and cheaper cars. And elimination of concern of battery warranty.
The problem is Gresham's Law as applied to battery packs. A new EV owner decides to go on a trip and make use of the new swap stations. Their battery pack is brand new and charges to 100%. When they swap it, they're likely to get a 2 or 3 year old pack that only charges to 70%. It was intentionally exchanged at the swap station by an owner who was willing to roll the dice to try and get a newer pack from someone like…
Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4
#424Is it their electric car or is it their car, electric ? I don't want your electric car. I don't want your e-initiative i-mobile green-tech tron-car. I want one of your actual cars, just electric . I don't want an ID.4 - I just want a Passat. I don't want the polestar e-initiative i-concept - I just want a V90 wagon. I don't want a future space truck, I just want a Silverado - but electric. God. Dammit.
The had the eGolf, which was the Golf, but electric. They were almost indistinguishable. The eGolf range was 125 miles, the ID.4 range is 250 miles. That's why they have new specific electric models. Electrifying existing models is generally underwhelming.
To make space for the battery they had to use up a chunk of the bootspace. Additionally the massive extra weight means the eGolf handles rather differently (particularly cornering) from a regular Golf.
An ePassat would maybe look like a normal Passat but it wouldn't be as practical, it would have barely any range and wouldn't drive like one.
Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4
#425Earlier quoted context omitted.
The best-selling[1] vehicle in America, the Ford F-150, had an average sale price of $47,174 in 2018[2]. I'm sure it's only gone up since. Also, the latest version of the map you shared shows the F-150 being the most popular vehicle in 18 states, none of which are California or New York: https://insurify.com/insights/most-popular-cars-in-america-2... --- [1] https://www.autobytel.com/ford/f-150/car-buying-guides/why-…
But frankly, it's a light truck . It's contractor's vehicle, or farmer's, but it's hardly a commuter car. It may be reasonable for countryside, like a boat may be reasonable for seaside. Nevertheless, just googled it: --- People also ask: How much does a 2020 F-150 cost? From $28,745 2020 Ford F-150 / MSRP ---
Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4
#426Earlier quoted context omitted.
Tesla attempted it and gave up. Given how much Musk loves ambition, there's probably a decent reason for it.
Part of the problem is accounting. Since the value of a battery pack is highly variable depending on its remaining life, the only way it would work is if you subscribed/leased the battery so it didn't matter what the delta in value of the packs are. Without that, you have to return to the exact same swapping station and pickup your original battery.
Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4
#427Earlier quoted context omitted.
The best-selling[1] vehicle in America, the Ford F-150, had an average sale price of $47,174 in 2018[2]. I'm sure it's only gone up since. Also, the latest version of the map you shared shows the F-150 being the most popular vehicle in 18 states, none of which are California or New York: https://insurify.com/insights/most-popular-cars-in-america-2... --- [1] https://www.autobytel.com/ford/f-150/car-buying-guides/why-…
But frankly, it's a light truck . It's contractor's vehicle, or farmer's, but it's hardly a commuter car. It may be reasonable for countryside, like a boat may be reasonable for seaside. Nevertheless, just googled it: --- People also ask: How much does a 2020 F-150 cost? From $28,745 2020 Ford F-150 / MSRP ---
Nobody is using electric for anything that we'd relate to as "critical" or "high availability". In fact, there are trucks that just bring gasoline to bigger trucks.
Source: I live at 8300ft in Colorado.
Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4
#428Earlier quoted context omitted.
But Tesla's cars are exactly this - they are largely gas sedans that look normal and are electric. People don't want some dorky looking electric car like Volkswagen's or BMW's. They want a normal car that's electric.
The pseudo-fastback sedan actually wasn't nearly as popular until around the time the model S came out. Then I started seeing it in a lot more cars, especially luxury, where the rear window comes down almost to the edge of the trunk. I'd always credited the S with kicking off the trend.
Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4
#429Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have a drive way, and it’s not solved for me. My driving needs would require me to be frequently filling up at charging stations. These kind of “it’s solved” statements are very much picking the facts to fit the conclusion, rather than the other way around. Pointing this out usually elicits a “well you should change your lifestyle to better suit the features of an electric car”. If you tried to say that about softw…
It’s more than just “transport,” it’s the environment. At one point, gas stations were hard to find and the horse/buggy reigned supreme. Gas cars were actually much cleaner then than the alternative. I’m glad we made that transition and I look forward to this new transition which will undoubtedly require at least a little change from just about everyone.
Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4
#430My opinion is that the industry has gone in the wrong direction with batteries. Cars should use swappable rechargeable batteries swapped by robots at the charging station. Faster pit stops and simpler batteries (no need for water-cooled, etc) and cheaper cars. And elimination of concern of battery warranty.
Many companies have tried this; all have failed. The latest to try is Ample [0], and we'll see how far they get. As a peer poster here observed, this idea seems correlated with people who don't have actual experience with EV ownership. It's a solution to a non-problem for the average driver [1]. Besides, Tesla now spends about $250K to build a supercharger. A robotically-operated battery-swapping station would probab…
I don't think that a battery swapper would be any more complicated than an automatic car wash.