3 ms·

This is good news. It's a sign that competition in the market is heating up and that multiple car companies are making different models for different markets (g

This is good news. It's a sign that competition in the market is heating up and that multiple car companies are making different models for different markets (geographic, usage and price levels) that appeal to people. All the cheerleading and nay-saying on both sides is tedious in the extreme. We should all be cheering the expansion of EVs accross the car industry. No, EVs are not perfect, and there is a lot of issues that need to be worked out from charging and range to the resources used to make them, but all those things are being worked on and this competition is part of that. Around me (in the UK) the EVs I notice seem to be pretty much split between Tesla's (mostly 3s with the odd S), Renault Zoes, and the Nissan Leaf (although they seem to be a minority). I'm also seeing a lot of Nissan ENV 200 vans being used by local businesses (including my plumber, who abasolutely loves his). Different people have different requirements. For a very large portion of the UK population, the market leading range on a Tesla is a plus for many people, especially if it's a main car. But many cars in the UK rarely go more than 100 miles in a day, the last figures I've seen from the RAC (UK equivalent of AAA in the US I think) puts the average daily drive at something like 25 miles (roughly my wife's commute), so for many people something like the Zoe is absolutely perfect, especially for a second car. On a random side-note, I really love the sound the Zoe makes when it goes past, it's wonderfully futuristic.

rich_sasha 6y ago
I always found it strange that we have a very developed petrol infrastructure, but not electric charging. Petrol needs to be shipped, first from drilling site to refinery, then distributed around the country, stored in underground tanks, protected against fire, kept topped up as supply/demand fluctuates, and even then you are probably never further than 10 miles from the nearest petrol station. Whereas electricity is, well, everywhere. Every petrol station has an electric connection. It doesn't need to be stored on site, transport is easy (hard for the grid but easy for the end user), no unusual hazards, etc. Of course charging is slower, and I guess that's the real bottleneck, but even then. We put holes filled with petrol all over the country, but can't put extra sockets.
- clouddrover 6y ago
  > Every petrol station has an electric connection. It's not as simple as using what's there. For fast chargers you also need to install a high power grid connection. However, battery based chargers are an interesting option for low installation costs without a high power connection while still achieving 120+ kW charging. The battery can either be integrated into the charger unit itself for the lowest installation cost or a large battery pack can be placed on site to run the chargers off: https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/vw-group-components-e-on-battery-ev-charger-germany/ https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/vw-group-components-e-on-... https://freewiretech.com/products/dc-boost-charger/ https://freewiretech.com/products/dc-boost-charger/ https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1129240_battery-boosted-charger-a-model-for-filling-in-fast-charging-gaps https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1129240_battery-boosted... https://thedriven.io/2020/05/07/new-goulburn-battery-beats-grid-upgrade-for-electric-vehicle-ultra-rapid-charging/ https://thedriven.io/2020/05/07/new-goulburn-battery-beats-g... As battery prices continue to fall these types of charger configurations will become more attractive.

rich_sasha 6y ago

I always found it strange that we have a very developed petrol infrastructure, but not electric charging. Petrol needs to be shipped, first from drilling site to refinery, then distributed around the country, stored in underground tanks, protected against fire, kept topped up as supply/demand fluctuates, and even then you are probably never further than 10 miles from the nearest petrol station. Whereas electricity is, well, everywhere. Every petrol station has an electric connection. It doesn't need to be stored on site, transport is easy (hard for the grid but easy for the end user), no unusual hazards, etc. Of course charging is slower, and I guess that's the real bottleneck, but even then. We put holes filled with petrol all over the country, but can't put extra sockets.

clouddrover 6y ago
> Every petrol station has an electric connection. It's not as simple as using what's there. For fast chargers you also need to install a high power grid connection. However, battery based chargers are an interesting option for low installation costs without a high power connection while still achieving 120+ kW charging. The battery can either be integrated into the charger unit itself for the lowest installation cost or a large battery pack can be placed on site to run the chargers off: https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/vw-group-components-e-on-battery-ev-charger-germany/ https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/vw-group-components-e-on-... https://freewiretech.com/products/dc-boost-charger/ https://freewiretech.com/products/dc-boost-charger/ https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1129240_battery-boosted-charger-a-model-for-filling-in-fast-charging-gaps https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1129240_battery-boosted... https://thedriven.io/2020/05/07/new-goulburn-battery-beats-grid-upgrade-for-electric-vehicle-ultra-rapid-charging/ https://thedriven.io/2020/05/07/new-goulburn-battery-beats-g... As battery prices continue to fall these types of charger configurations will become more attractive.