Thread: EV general discussion

Originally Posted by Homestar

According to the actual science, battery tech improvements seem to be heading at an incremental level, not great leaps.

Based on how batteries work I’m sceptical there will be an improvement in one hit that was like when we first saw lithium hit the market.

Mind you - I would LOVE to be proved wrong on this one, we can’t keep up at work with large batteries (60 to 125KWH BESS units for building sites) but I’ve got my realists hat on at the moment.

Fully agree - I expect it will be 2030 before that rate of incremental improvement on current battery technology reaches a point where EVs become a viable alternative for the majority of passenger vehicles - not just those that can live with the current limitations.

This also lines up with when we may see Solid State batteries are commercialised, but by then the current battery tech may be as good anyway. So still win-win.

What I do know is a lot of very smart people with well funded R&D projects are working on this.

By 2030 the EV market will be a mature market, but probably limited to 20% of new car sales in Australia and the US, and it won’t be until 2040 we see any real growth to start significantly displacing ICE and PHEV sales.

Expect to hear the phrase “slow start fast finish” more when it comes to how people sell the transition away from fossil fuels for transportation.

Thailand was an eye opener after a 5 year hiatus.

Grab (Uber type service) is huge and I would estimate 50% of them were EV.

Given electricity prices are dirt cheap, CFPS are everywhere, distances travelled are short and the consistent climate means no Cold issues - I’d say they are a perfect use case.

Not a lot of Public charge points to be found, as said, most run local only. Doing 150km before taking a break and having food whilst they charge at home.

Over here a 5 seat 2.0 litre petrol PHEV will cost you €150 road tax per year because it is considered a "green" option due to the batteries in it.
A 3.0 litre diesel with 8 seats will cost you €2,400 road tax per year yet you will get more milage from it than the 2.0 litre PHEV in petrol mode.
The battery range given for the 2.0 litre phev is stated between 50-60 km which one motoring journalist said was "optimistc".
Modern diesel are exceptionally clean due to all of the emissions control systems fitted to them. Makes them complicated but I think over all they are "greener" than the PHEV which I think is a gimmick.
On another note, issues have been reported with Chinese built electric BYD vehicles. Some issues like the scratches and mould could happen to any manufacturer during transit but the warping under the weight of roof racks seems to indicate a design flaw.
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/cars/news/...3fcbc8f6&ei=34

Originally Posted by spudfan

On another note, issues have been reported with Chinese built electric BYD vehicles.

Oh really? You surprise me.😎 There are reports almost daily about Chines EVs, from BYD to Tesla, far too many to attempt to list them here.

The Tesla ones mainly concern price cutting due to very slow sales, although fires are also reported. The BYD and other big Chines brand cars, not so much. Sure, they are discounting, or even closing their doors, but the horror stories of build quality and outright life threatening design issues abound.

BYD is apparently going to build a factory in Mexico. Perhaps quality will improve.....😆 Although, with the increasingly likely change in the White House come November I'm not sure it's a good move, strategically. At least, not if they're hoping on easier access to the US market. If you believe goggle then maybe they want to to take advantage of the bullish predictions on sales in Brazil. Given China is building large sectors of the power distribution infrastructure there maybe they've got some "advantages". Still, Brazil has massive hydro power, so it could work well, at least in São Paulo.

Whether they build them in Ciudad Juárez orChongqing, I'm not touching one. There are quite literally square miles of land taken up with estimated hundreds of thousands of abandoned, brand new EVs in China. Who knows how they will offload those?

From BBC news. Seems the fifth largest smartphone maker is to launch it's own electric car in a few weeks.

Hmm... Not strictly EV related, but it's mostly EVs doing it currently. Bloke in the US had his insurance cost increased by around 20%, based on data his Chevy Volt sent to GM, who then on-sold the data to the insurers via LexisNexis. Tesla has been accused of the same practice. Bloke in question is a 65 yo businessman with a good driving record.

I can't possibly link to the vid I am referencing.

Bear in mind, there's a huge Bill they are trying to force through over there. Hidden away in that Bill is the little snippet that all new cars after 2026 will require a remote kill switch.... Who gets to control that? Social Credit Score, coming to a car near you.

And Xiaomi are going to make cars? Great. Huawei next?

Originally Posted by Homestar

Couldn't find a suitable thread to put the below pic in, so starting a new one that anything EV related can go in.

Was wondering when I parked behind this Tesla what it may be towing...Attachment 151476

You if he/she reverse a bit hard & jams that ball under your bumper or what goes for a bumper these days.

Originally Posted by Tins

Hmm... Not strictly EV related, but it's mostly EVs doing it currently. Bloke in the US had his insurance cost increased by around 20%, based on data his Chevy Volt sent to GM, who then on-sold the data to the insurers via LexisNexis. Tesla has been accused of the same practice. Bloke in question is a 65 yo businessman with a good driving record.

I can't possibly link to the vid I am referencing.

Bear in mind, there's a huge Bill they are trying to force through over there. Hidden away in that Bill is the little snippet that all new cars after 2026 will require a remote kill switch.... Who gets to control that? Social Credit Score, coming to a car near you.

And Xiaomi are going to make cars? Great. Huawei next?

or Gladys Sym Choon. google it. She also introduced Fireworks but they don't mention that.Gladys Sym Choon | Adelaidia