What will it take to make you seriously consider an EV?

Nickel.

 

7/11 getting in the game.

https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/7-eleven-ev-fast-charging-network-7charge/

 

They should add a slushee machine right beside the charger.

 

Let's just hope the charging station is more reliable than the slushee machine.

 

https://thedriven.io/2023/04/21/wor...ounces-major-breakthrough-in-battery-density/

World’s largest battery maker announces major breakthrough in energy density

In one of the most significant battery breakthroughs in recent years, the world’s largest battery manufacturer CATL has announced a new “condensed” battery with 500 Wh/kg which it says will go into mass production this year.

“The launch of condensed batteries will usher in an era of universal electrification of sea, land and air transportation, open up more possibilities of the development of the industry, and promote the achieving of the global carbon neutrality goals at an earlier date,” the company said in a presentation at Auto Shanghai on Thursday.

CATL’s new condensed battery will have almost double the energy intensity of Tesla’s 4680 cells, whose rating of 272-296 Wh/kg are considered very high by current standards.

CATL chief scientist Wu Kai says the condensed battery integrates a range of innovative technologies, including the ultra-high energy density cathode materials, innovative anode materials, separators, and manufacturing processes, offering excellent charge and discharge performance as well as good safety performance.

He says the new technology breaks the limits that have long restricted the development of the battery sector and will open up a new era of electrification centred on high safety and light weight.

During the presentation, CATL said its working with partners on the development of electric passenger aircraft practicing aviation-level standards and testing in accordance with aviation-grade safety and quality requirements.

In addition to aircraft, CATL says it will soon launch the automotive-grade version of condensed batteries which it says will also go into mass production within this year.

 

They mention aircraft in the release... which makes me wonder : how much is this going to cost?

 

I’m guessing these will not be cheap.

 

So I finally got my Chevy Bolt EUV a week or so ago. I love it so far.

Question for the EV owners. Should I charge it every night if I didn't drive it much? I would typicalyl think it isn't good for a battery to stay on the charger for long periods of time after it hits 100%, but my wife was reading the manual that came with the car and it seemed to claim that the charger/system does things to maintain the battery while on the charger, so it is best to put it on the charger every time you store it (I guess one could question what they mean by "store"). What is y'alls experiences or what is considered best practice?

 

It's okay to top off every night. If you're gone for more than a week, probably leave it unplugged.

 

you shouldn’t charge it to 100% unless going on a long trip. Not good for long term health of battery.

I always have my EVs plugged in when I garage. They are programmed to start charging at 12:15 am and charging stops at 80% even when plugged in. However, even in this state, I leave it plugged in because when any of the features are used when parked such as climate control, media, or battery pre conditioning, it draws power from the outlet and leaves my battery intact at 80%.

You can stop charging of battery even when the car is plugged in in two ways: 1). if your charging device/outlet is programmable. 2) if your car allows it to be programmed. Either of these methods can be used to cut the flow of electricity even when plugged in.

 

Wow, you got into one right before GM killed it off. I don't know what you paid for it, but some people are kind of dismayed since it was one of the few low-cost options for people getting into an EV available in the US.

 

I don’t understand GM at all.

 

Good news is GM is still the leading EV manufacture in the world.

 

If I got an EV in the next twelve months I’d get a Lyriq. But I have a new car already.

 

So I'm not sure what climate you are in but at least with my Chevy Volt, we were always told to keep it plugged in because of the active heating and cooling of the battery. I live in a cold weather climate so keeping it plugged in meant that the active heating system could regulate the temperature of the battery overnight. There's also active cooling of the battery for really hot weather as well.

But if you aren't dealing with climate extremes, then plugging in overnight isn't really necessary but the actual damage to the battery is also completely overstated as well. I personally don't think it matters either way. I plug mine in overnight out of habit (even when the weather isn't bad) but that's just my personal opinion.

GM is switching to a common battery standard for all EVs and the Bolt uses a completely bespoke battery that isn't used by anything else (not to mention the constant issues that LG has had with their batteries). The choice was to either entirely redesign the Bolt or kill it off. I believe the 2024 Equinox is supposed to be the Bolt replacement and its supposed to be priced in roughly the same range as the Bolt line (while using the Ultium battery). Last I saw a base Equinox will give 300 miles of range for under $30000.

 

Just set it to charge to 80% rather than 100%.

 

More than I was hoping for. I targeted this model mainly because of the cost. But when I started looking around NO ONE had them in stock and most of the ones that were in transit were already spoken for. I finally found one in Lake Jackson that wasn't, but it had more of the bonus features than I would have chosen for myself (I don't need my butt to be warmed or cooled and I don't care about "blackout" pacakges). Ultimately I paid like $36k for it when I was hoping to find one under $30k... but at least I got the car I was hoping for.

 

The department of energy is releasing block grants for charging stations. If you have a office building or a small business you can now apply for a grant to install charging stations. The goal is 100k in the next 5 years of independent charging stations.

The good news is now that tesla is on board having universal plugs will be so important moving forward

 

Yeah, the Equinox is supposed to be replacing it and supposed to cost around $30k, but who knows what it will really end up costing on drive-out and based on availability. Car buying nowadays is utter crap in some cases. I'm hoping I don't have to buy a vehicle for a while even though my current car will be about 9 years old this year. I've only got around 125k miles on it, so it hopefully doesn't give me too many problems for a while.