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This is why we need standard, swappable battery packs. You pull into a "filling station" and a robot pulls your used pack and pops in a new one. 5 minutes, in

This is why we need standard, swappable battery packs. You pull into a "filling station" and a robot pulls your used pack and pops in a new one. 5 minutes, in and out. Sad thing is, this isn't a new idea. People just don't seem to want it.

goatinaboat 7y ago
People just don't seem to want it. People right now feel that the advantages of batteries integrated throughout the chassis are greater.
- freehunter 7y ago
  Yeah standard swappable batteries are nice but as we can see in the cell phone and laptop world, they're very restrictive on design choices. And since EVs are very sensitive to weight and aerodynamics, coupled with the fact that EV makers are trying to put as many batteries into the car as they can, there's just no way to make a one-size-fits-all battery that works for every car. You'd either need to trade off battery density (which means EV range concerns are amplified) or trade off weight and aerodynamics (which means EV range concerns are amplified). No general consumer EV maker is going to reduce the total range on their spec sheet just to make it easier to swap a battery that also fits several other cars that they don't make. It's not a smart marketing decision.
  - JustSomeNobody 7y ago
    > You'd either need to trade off battery density (which means EV range concerns are amplified) So, instead of being able to go 300 miles before charging for an hour, I could go 225 but change it out in 5 minutes. I'll take the latter thank you.
    - freehunter 7y ago
      Yes, that's why I mentioned the spec sheet. It doesn't matter all the additional benefits you might get if customers are looking at just one number: range.
  - r00fus 7y ago
    What about liability ? My car catches fire with a swapped battery. Whose fault is it? Or a less deadly but more probable “I only got 20mi range when it told me 200” Sounds like shocking possibilities.
Mountain_Skies 7y ago
That type of solution likely will start with company owned fleet vehicles until a critical mass of electric vehicles in the general public is reached at which point there will be enough demand for electric vehicles to make the cost of infrastructure for battery swapping viable.
lonelappde 7y ago
That adds a huge expense to and already expensive proposition.
cornellwright 7y ago
Hopefully one day flow batteries [1] will be efficient enough where you can pull into an electrolyte station and swap out your discharged (liquid) electrolyte for charged electrolyte. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_battery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_battery
secabeen 7y ago
One of the reasons is that batteries are expensive, and can be damaged/degraded. If I have a nice battery that I've treated well, and I swap it at the swap station for a different one, I would be unhappy if I got a totally worn-out battery.
- JustSomeNobody 7y ago
  The idea is that you don’t really own it. The company doing the swapping has it in their best interest to make sure you don’t get a dud. Like gas stations; if you get bad gas at one you take your business elsewhere next time.
Anzene 7y ago
My personal opinion is that for cars may be asking too much from the manufacturer to invest, unless they come together and do a consortium thing (like the SD card standardization). Else, it does make sense for slow, light electric vehicles (SLEVs) such as e-scooters, e-motorcycles, e-bikes to reduce the range anxiety when the users take the SLEVs out, as form factor can be more easily adapted.

goatinaboat 7y ago

People just don't seem to want it. People right now feel that the advantages of batteries integrated throughout the chassis are greater.

freehunter 7y ago
Yeah standard swappable batteries are nice but as we can see in the cell phone and laptop world, they're very restrictive on design choices. And since EVs are very sensitive to weight and aerodynamics, coupled with the fact that EV makers are trying to put as many batteries into the car as they can, there's just no way to make a one-size-fits-all battery that works for every car. You'd either need to trade off battery density (which means EV range concerns are amplified) or trade off weight and aerodynamics (which means EV range concerns are amplified). No general consumer EV maker is going to reduce the total range on their spec sheet just to make it easier to swap a battery that also fits several other cars that they don't make. It's not a smart marketing decision.
- JustSomeNobody 7y ago
  > You'd either need to trade off battery density (which means EV range concerns are amplified) So, instead of being able to go 300 miles before charging for an hour, I could go 225 but change it out in 5 minutes. I'll take the latter thank you.
  - freehunter 7y ago
    Yes, that's why I mentioned the spec sheet. It doesn't matter all the additional benefits you might get if customers are looking at just one number: range.
- r00fus 7y ago
  What about liability ? My car catches fire with a swapped battery. Whose fault is it? Or a less deadly but more probable “I only got 20mi range when it told me 200” Sounds like shocking possibilities.

Mountain_Skies 7y ago

That type of solution likely will start with company owned fleet vehicles until a critical mass of electric vehicles in the general public is reached at which point there will be enough demand for electric vehicles to make the cost of infrastructure for battery swapping viable.

lonelappde 7y ago

That adds a huge expense to and already expensive proposition.

cornellwright 7y ago

Hopefully one day flow batteries [1] will be efficient enough where you can pull into an electrolyte station and swap out your discharged (liquid) electrolyte for charged electrolyte. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_battery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_battery

secabeen 7y ago

One of the reasons is that batteries are expensive, and can be damaged/degraded. If I have a nice battery that I've treated well, and I swap it at the swap station for a different one, I would be unhappy if I got a totally worn-out battery.

JustSomeNobody 7y ago
The idea is that you don’t really own it. The company doing the swapping has it in their best interest to make sure you don’t get a dud. Like gas stations; if you get bad gas at one you take your business elsewhere next time.

Anzene 7y ago

My personal opinion is that for cars may be asking too much from the manufacturer to invest, unless they come together and do a consortium thing (like the SD card standardization). Else, it does make sense for slow, light electric vehicles (SLEVs) such as e-scooters, e-motorcycles, e-bikes to reduce the range anxiety when the users take the SLEVs out, as form factor can be more easily adapted.