2035

[fastpakr]

It's already being done with cars.

Will swapping out electric car batteries catch on?

One Chinese carmaker has plans for thousands of stations in Europe where you can switch batteries.

www.bbc.com

It's definitely possible. I'm just not convinced it's likely given the variety of manufacturers, vehicle sizes, performance needs, etc.

 

[oldgeek]

It's definitely possible. I'm just not convinced it's likely given the variety of manufacturers, vehicle sizes, performance needs, etc.

That is where some standards would need be, probably by regulation through the DOT. Just one sized battery would be impractical. I could see 3 or 4 size ranges.

As to performance needs, that might be a market where the charging station would still be needed.

 

[stmitch]

Tesla had a battery swapping station open to the public several years ago. They shut it down due to lack of use because owners didn't want to risk giving up a good battery for one that might be less healthy, and because fast charging is reducing times:

Tesla shuts down battery swap program in favor of Superchargers, for now

Tesla’s battery swap station near the Harris Ranch Supercharger station in Coalinga, CA seems to have been shut down, at least for now. What started out as a company vision to recharge Tesla vehicles in the same amount of time, if not quicker, as refueling a gas vehicle, turned into a pilot...

www.teslarati.com

Batteries are the most expensive part of an EV. There aren't very many people that are willing to pull up to a battery swap location and risk giving up their battery for another that may not be as healthy. It would kind of be like swapping out an engine and transmission in an ICE. You don't know what the replacement components have been through or if they're better or worse than what you've got.

 

[Curious Hound]

Tesla had a battery swapping station open to the public several years ago. They shut it down due to lack of use because owners didn't want to risk giving up a good battery for one that might be less healthy, and because fast charging is reducing times:

Tesla shuts down battery swap program in favor of Superchargers, for now

Tesla’s battery swap station near the Harris Ranch Supercharger station in Coalinga, CA seems to have been shut down, at least for now. What started out as a company vision to recharge Tesla vehicles in the same amount of time, if not quicker, as refueling a gas vehicle, turned into a pilot...

www.teslarati.com

Batteries are the most expensive part of an EV. There aren't very many people that are willing to pull up to a battery swap location and risk giving up their battery for another that may not be as healthy. It would kind of be like swapping out an engine and transmission in an ICE. You don't know what the replacement components have been through or if they're better or worse than what you've got.

We go through the same thing with Walkie-talkie batteries at work. Everybody takes the best one off the shared charging station and leaves the older, batteries for someone else. Some of us have our own personal chargers and keep track of our own batteries so we don’t have to take an old one from the shared group. I wouldn’t want to get to the car battery swapping place and have to take “luck of the draw”.

 

[oldgeek]

Batteries are the most expensive part of an EV. There aren't very many people that are willing to pull up to a battery swap location and risk giving up their battery for another that may not be as healthy. It would kind of be like swapping out an engine and transmission in an ICE. You don't know what the replacement components have been through or if they're better or worse than what you've got.

Again, that would be where standards come in. I believe Nio's vehicles, one doesn't buy the battery, which knocks off something like $11K. It would have to be a situation that, like gas pumps, the process would be regulated, and inspected, as to battery maintenance and repair.

 

[Roert42]

They have enough experience with batteries on the EVs now that it has been documented that best battery life and battery performance is achieved with the battery spending nearly all of its time between 60% and 80% charge, and only going under 60% or over 80% periodically. (You do need to go down to around 20% and up to 100% once in a while, like every few months, to retain the full capacity.) Most of the good chargers can be set to stop charging at a desired point (i.e. 80%) so you don't overcharge them. Damage to these types of batteries mostly occurs at below 20% and over 80% charge.

They have technology now in the phones that regulates how much the battery charges and goes dead to help optimize the battery life. Even if you leave the phone plugged in, it will not charge all the way. They learn when they are charged and unplugged.

 

[pjtoledo]

going by the recent issue in Colorado where "smart" home thermostats were basically turned off/restricted in a hi demand situation, how much of a charge will you expect to get on a hi travel holiday weekend from a connected charging network?

 

[superj]

Yup /\

imagine being in cali and they have those blackouts and you need to get somwhere. Like you are military or something and your unit has a recall but your car is not charged enough to get to the base. Not good

 

[oldgeek]

Cut a hole in the floorboard and go Flintstone.

 

[Bill]

Tesla had a battery swapping station open to the public several years ago. They shut it down due to lack of use because owners didn't want to risk giving up a good battery for one that might be less healthy, and because fast charging is reducing times:

Tesla shuts down battery swap program in favor of Superchargers, for now

Tesla’s battery swap station near the Harris Ranch Supercharger station in Coalinga, CA seems to have been shut down, at least for now. What started out as a company vision to recharge Tesla vehicles in the same amount of time, if not quicker, as refueling a gas vehicle, turned into a pilot...

www.teslarati.com

Batteries are the most expensive part of an EV. There aren't very many people that are willing to pull up to a battery swap location and risk giving up their battery for another that may not be as healthy. It would kind of be like swapping out an engine and transmission in an ICE. You don't know what the replacement components have been through or if they're better or worse than what you've got.

The batteries in swapping stations aren't fast charged.

 

[19Walt93]

An alternative to the charging wait time on long trips is battery swapping stations where the battery mounted under the vehicle and can be removed and a charged battery put in it's place. I think the biggest issue with tis is that it would require standardization across manufacturers, and manufactures don't like that.

Not that simple: the battery is a long warranty item, once you swap it you lose the warranty. The battery in a Hybrid Escape(the model I'm most familiar with) takes up the entire luggage area floor and we used our motor crane to lift them out. If the vehicle is loaded for a trip you'd have to empty it out before swapping batteries which wouldn't be quick and your stuff would get wet if it was raining or snowing. Who would pay for the removed batteries to be charged and for initial batch of charged batteries? Would you swap the depleted battery out of your 2022 vehicle for a charged 2018 battery with a shorter lifespan? An EV ain't a cordless screwdriver.

 

[19Walt93]

I read an article about the affect of temperature on EV batteries, it said dropping from 70 degrees to 40 degrees lowered the range by 24%. We have months below 40 degrees when heat, lights, defrost, wipers, and often seat heaters are in use further lowering the range.
Since California is banning ICE cars does that mean they are going to ban their self important celebrities and movie moguls from flying around in their private jets, too?

 

[oldgeek]

Not that simple: the battery is a long warranty item, once you swap it you lose the warranty. The battery in a Hybrid Escape(the model I'm most familiar with) takes up the entire luggage area floor and we used our motor crane to lift them out. If the vehicle is loaded for a trip you'd have to empty it out before swapping batteries which wouldn't be quick and your stuff would get wet if it was raining or snowing. Who would pay for the removed batteries to be charged and for initial batch of charged batteries? Would you swap the depleted battery out of your 2022 vehicle for a charged 2018 battery with a shorter lifespan? An EV ain't a cordless screwdriver.

In a system setup of swapping batteries, one wouldn't purchase the battery with the vehicle. Vehicles would have to be manufactured specific to swapping. It wouldn't work on existing EVs.

 

[oldgeek]

The batteries in swapping stations aren't fast charged.

They wouldn't need be and that would be better for the batteries.

 

[sgtsandman]

I read an article about the affect of temperature on EV batteries, it said dropping from 70 degrees to 40 degrees lowered the range by 24%. We have months below 40 degrees when heat, lights, defrost, wipers, and often seat heaters are in use further lowering the range.
Since California is banning ICE cars does that mean they are going to ban their self important celebrities and movie moguls from flying around in their private jets, too?

And energy usage is higher because of the heating system in the EV vehicles needing to be electric powered.