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Indeed. I didn't go into EV battery tech because it's still relatively new technology and doesn't really have any relevance to the planned obsolescence angle.
by cameronh90 4y ago
Indeed.
I didn't go into EV battery tech because it's still relatively new technology and doesn't really have any relevance to the planned obsolescence angle. But as you point out, newer battery packs have very long design lifetimes.
It remains to be seen how well this will translate into actual lifetimes, but at this point it seems like EVs will end up being much more reliable than ICEs. Almost every other part of an EV is much simpler and more reliable.
Honestly, even with modern ICEs, it's rarely the engine and drivetrain causing problems towards the end of its life. The interior starts to fall apart, the weather proofing fails, buttons stop working, things start to rattle, etc. until eventually you get bored of the constant minor repairs, meanwhile new cars are so much more comfortable and better designed, better fuel economy, lower emissions/taxes, etc.
I only drive an old car because I don't drive often.
- bryanlarsen 4y agoA lot of the little stuff you just live with on an old car. It's the medium stuff that kills you. If something big goes you just trash the car, but it's the many $500 - $3k repairs that eat you alive. Brakes, suspension, CV joints, et cetera. Electric cars don't eliminate this kind of stuff, but they do reduce it. Brake wear is almost completely eliminated, differentials usually are eliminated, transmissions are single speed transfer boxes, CV joints are sometimes eliminated, et cetera.
- headsoup 4y agoHow is brake wear almost eliminated with electric cars?
- bryanlarsen 4y agoRegenerative braking. Brake pads are only used for emergency braking.
- pwinnski 4y agoI've seen so much skepticism about this. People without EVs can't seem to believe that brake pads don't experience much wear on EVs. I owned a Toyota Prius for many years, and while not a pure EV, it still used regenerative braking, and after several years of driving, the brake pads were no more worn than when I bought it. I traded it for a Fiat 500e, pure EV, and I don't expect to have to replace the brake pads on it, probably ever.
- toomuchtodo 4y agoWe owned a Toyota Hybrid that someone totaled at ~100k miles, had the factory pads on it. I expect the pads on all of our Teslas to last the life of the vehicles. It’s a minor benefit, but super nice to not need to bother with pad and rotor replacements.
- headsoup 4y agoI hadn't looked into that before, that's quite neat!
- frosted-flakes 4y agoIn many parts of the world, it's not mechanical failure that causes a car to be scrapped, nor is it interior breakage. It'a rust. Rust eats cars like nothing else, and until automakers start using more corrosion-resistant materials (aluminum, stainless steel, galvanized steel, etc.), or cities stop spraying salt on roads, in these areas rust will continue to be the #1 car-killer.