Live data from Hacker News

BMW EV achieves 1000km in range using Dual-Chemistry batteries

forbes.com

61–70 of 92 posts

Re: BMW EV achieves 1000km in range using Dual-Chemistry batteries

#61
post #50
post #45

Mercedes achieved a 1000km range with a regular 100kWh battery by making an extremely efficient car with a drag coefficient of only 0.17 [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_Vision_EQXX

The unfortunate thing with the whole drag-coefficient game is it ultimately results in fish-shaped cars and zero unique designs. Between EVs and crossovers we're suffocating in this current era of uninspired automotive design where it seems like mfgrs take a single car model, open it in Photoshop, resize by 50/70/110/130%, slap on new badge and call it a day. Audi & Subaru are some of the worst modern offenders here.

I would argue that the real suffering is caused by climate change displacing communities and killing people in frequent natural disasters.

Re: BMW EV achieves 1000km in range using Dual-Chemistry batteries

#63
post #55
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The UI should be: you plug in and it gives you power and your credit card pays automatically. Done. You never need to touch or see your credit card or phone at any time before, during, or after the charging process. Guess what kind of EVs work this way already.

Nah. When I am taking a road trip, the last thing I want to do register an account for some random charging network I'm never going to use again (because I'm in a different part of the world). I just want to pay for my power and move on, just like I can pay for food or anything else on the trip. When I am at home, I plug my car in and it goes on my monthly power bill. This is where the convenience matters.

If it's an international network, you'll probably use it again and it's probably not "some random" charging network. Agree about home convenience though.

Re: BMW EV achieves 1000km in range using Dual-Chemistry batteries

#64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

EVs already have far better driving dynamics than gas cars... doesn't seem like what designers should be optimizing for, or what the average consumer will care most about.

“Far better driving dynamics than gas cars”? No way. Go throw a BMW 3-series around some corners and compare to the Model 3 - you will feel the weight of the batteries. I would have said compare to a Porsche but that’s a different price range. Note: I’m a big fan of EVs. I’m just saying that handling is one of their weaknesses until battery density gets a lot better.

I drove a BMW 3 series quite a bit (around Denver and then to Colorado Springs and back) and found the handling disappointing compared to my 3. Also, Googling “ weight” gives me a range of 3,862–4,048 lbs for a model 3 but 3,582–4,138 lbs for a 3 series. Since the battery pack is between the wheels, the weight balance of the model 3 makes it handle better.

Re: BMW EV achieves 1000km in range using Dual-Chemistry batteries

#65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

EVs already have far better driving dynamics than gas cars... doesn't seem like what designers should be optimizing for, or what the average consumer will care most about.

“Far better driving dynamics than gas cars”? No way. Go throw a BMW 3-series around some corners and compare to the Model 3 - you will feel the weight of the batteries. I would have said compare to a Porsche but that’s a different price range. Note: I’m a big fan of EVs. I’m just saying that handling is one of their weaknesses until battery density gets a lot better.

You're comparing a sports sedan with a pretty normal sedan there. The fact that the model 3 can compete in the same league at all with the BMW has to do with the lower weight distribution caused by those batteries. It's not as simple as you're trying to make it sound.

Re: BMW EV achieves 1000km in range using Dual-Chemistry batteries

#66
This seems like cool technology, but I can't help but to believe that people are concentrating on the wrong problem. Range is important up to a point, but the more important problems to solve are 1) a recharging infrastructure that makes it so that EVs don't need such huge batteries in the first place and 2) recharge speed needs to be at the level of plug-in, use the bathroom, un-plug and go.

Re: BMW EV achieves 1000km in range using Dual-Chemistry batteries

#67
post #2

How do the charging times compare? That’s the deal maker/breaker for long road trips greater than 500 miles, or shorter trips where you use all the accessories, encounter lots of hills, etc not possible on a dynamometer.

This. I've done 4 3000km road trips in an EV. I never went more than 200 miles between charging sessions because my family and I need to eat, sleep and toilet. So more range wouldn't have made the trip any quicker. Faster charging would have. Add a bit of margin and I believe that 300 miles is the point at which charging speed becomes more important than range.

But if you’re at something like 600 miles that’s basically the maximum most anyone is willing to (or should) drive in a day (10 hours at 60mph average), so that means you can use destination AC charging instead of DC fast charging because you now have 8+ hours of sleeping time instead of wanting to keep your break time under 20-30 minutes or so.

This is why I want my first EV to have a range like that. I’ll be able to the next place I’m sleeping without having to worry about whether I am going to encounter a half-broken Electrify America station that’s going to keep me sitting in a Walmart parking lot for 45 minutes of my day.

Re: BMW EV achieves 1000km in range using Dual-Chemistry batteries

#68
A 1000km EV range is not news. Aptera is winning the 'range war' with a 1000 mile (1600 km) EV. And recent battery news should be taken as 'new ice cream flavor discovered' announcements. What is the actual interesting bit of news here? Their proprietary BMS doing DC to DC seems somewhat trivial.

Re: BMW EV achieves 1000km in range using Dual-Chemistry batteries

#69

A 1000km EV range is not news. Aptera is winning the 'range war' with a 1000 mile (1600 km) EV. And recent battery news should be taken as 'new ice cream flavor discovered' announcements. What is the actual interesting bit of news here? Their proprietary BMS doing DC to DC seems somewhat trivial.

Aptera hasn't delivered a car yet.

Re: BMW EV achieves 1000km in range using Dual-Chemistry batteries

#70
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. I've done 4 3000km road trips in an EV. I never went more than 200 miles between charging sessions because my family and I need to eat, sleep and toilet. So more range wouldn't have made the trip any quicker. Faster charging would have. Add a bit of margin and I believe that 300 miles is the point at which charging speed becomes more important than range.

But if you’re at something like 600 miles that’s basically the maximum most anyone is willing to (or should ) drive in a day (10 hours at 60mph average), so that means you can use destination AC charging instead of DC fast charging because you now have 8+ hours of sleeping time instead of wanting to keep your break time under 20-30 minutes or so. This is why I want my first EV to have a range like that. I’ll be able…

Good point. But we didn't always have destination AC charging; sometimes we were charging overnight on 120V instead.

If you're driving this theoretical 600 mile vehicle you can't charge it overnight on AC anyways. A level 2 charger is typically 10kW or 40amps. A 600 mile battery is likely at least 200kWh, a 20 hour charge at 10kW.

Post reply on HN