Cars - history, now and future

[LesPalenik]

Speaking about inflation:
GM recently announced a price hike for all new reservations for its already expensive GMC Hummer EV pickup truck (which is more of a novelty than a practical work truck). Prices will see an increase of $6,250. The 3X trim level has a starting MSRP of $99,995, but the base price for new reservations placed after Jun 18 will be raised to $106,245.

Rivian increased their truck prices by $10,000 and Tesla raised the price of Model X by $6,000 to $120,990.

[Robert Roaldi]

I came across this TEDx talk about EVs, hyrbids, etc. The talk is 2 years old but it was new to me, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1E8SQde5rk. He basically points out that EVs are no panacea, but no one should have expected them to be.

[LesPalenik]

CATL, a Shenzen based battery manufacturer just announced a new car battery with a range of 1,000km.
That would allow a drive from Toronto to Florida with just one re-charge stop. In the winter, maybe with two or three stops.

(Bloomberg) -- Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. unveiled an electric-car battery it said has a range of over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) on a single charge and is 13% more powerful than one planned by Tesla Inc., a major customer.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/catl-unveils-ev-battery-one-093935625.html

[Robert Roaldi]

CATL, a Shenzen based battery manufacturer just announced a new car battery with a range of 1,000km.
That would allow a drive from Toronto to Florida with just one re-charge stop. In the winter, maybe with two or three stops.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/catl-unveils-ev-battery-one-093935625.html

On p. 21 of this issue of the Canadian Mining Journal (https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/digital-edition/june-july-2022/), there is an article about the possible use of vanadium instead of lithium in future re-chargeable batteries. Vanadium-based batteries have some advantages re longer life and re-charge cycles, but they have the disadvantage of being much larger so they are not currently ideal for transportation system. They may already be viable for stationary back-up/storage systems.

I am confident that the technology will continue to improve.

[Alan Klein]

CATL, a Shenzen based battery manufacturer just announced a new car battery with a range of 1,000km.
That would allow a drive from Toronto to Florida with just one re-charge stop. In the winter, maybe with two or three stops.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/catl-unveils-ev-battery-one-093935625.html

That design would be great for flashlights, cameras, and other battery-driven devices as well.  As far as cars, unless the range is increased, as this battery apparently does, EVs are limited to only a segment of drivers. 

The only problem is battery cost.  While an owner saves money in gas expenses, the high cost of the battery initially dampens those savings.  Currently, you're paying more upfront to save on gas later on.  Most people do not include the additional upfront costs in their gas savings calculations.

[LesPalenik]

Tesla accelerates.
June production numbers were the highest in their history and a hacker who removed the software speed restrictor on his Tesla S Plaid clocked 216mph/348kmh.

The Tesla Model S Plaid is advertised as having a top speed of 200mph (321km/h), however the top speed is currently software locked and limited to 175mph (281km/h) when in Track Mode. No one knows when Tesla will unlock the top speed.

Not content to wait around and find out, the team at the Quebec-based tuner Ingenext has worked their magic and blown Tesla’s top speed out of the water. At a recent high speed run at the Aéroport de Trois-Rivières, their modified Model S Plaid hit a top speed of 217mph (350km/h).

If those speeds weren’t impressive enough, video from the event shows the Plaid reached over 300km/h in about 16 seconds.

https://driveteslacanada.ca/model-s/modified-tesla-model-s-plaid-hits-217mph-350km-h-video/

[Peter McLennan]

...  EVs are limited to only a segment of drivers. 

Yes. Those who live and drive mostly in urban or suburban areas.  In other words, nearly everyone. 

The only problem is battery cost.  While an owner saves money in gas expenses, the high cost of the battery initially dampens those savings.  Currently, you're paying more upfront to save on gas later on.  Most people do not include the additional upfront costs in their gas savings calculations.

I recently priced a Hyundai Ioniq 5 (one of the first practical EVs out of the gate, excluding Tesla)  Its cost was not much different from any other moderately luxurious ICE car and much less than a typical pickup.  Its fuel costs will be about 10% of any ICE alternative.

My (12 yrs) daily driver has now consumed more dollars in fuel than its original purchase price. And that's for a vehicle that has delivered 24 mpusg for those twelve years.

Think about that for a second. 

[digitaldog]

Think about that for a second.

An impossbility sadly.