See, Apple? Even cars can do it :)

  • Twentytwodividedby7@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    The answer is massive government support. The cost of those stations has to be insane…imagine the inventory holding cost of those batteries

    • Kanda@reddthat.com
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      5 months ago

      Imagine the cost of stations everywhere that would have tanker-trucks deliver fluid that you’d put in cars

      • Twentytwodividedby7@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        This is not comparable.

        The fuel is spent and sold. Gas stations usually only have a few days supply of inventory.

        This is like holding engines in inventory to swap without notice on the spot. But in this case the engines cost $10k+.

        The fee to swap is about $12…so you have to swap each battery about 800 times to break even. See how you’re wrong yet?

      • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Well yeah but the comparison here should be against a typical BEV. ICE cars are already being phased out regardless.

    • UltraGiGaGigantic@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      Don’t worry, the US government will support its automakers by banning the competition.

      That is, if they make totally cool and totally legal campaign contributions.

      Competing is for the working class, not the 1%.

    • Revonult@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I think swappable batteries could be a good solution to fires and probelms seen with long term battery health. Like if batteries were smaller and you swap it out rather than charging they could be inspected before being redistributed. In an ideal situation the cost of purchasing a battery would be removed from the vehicle price and shift to a subscription/interchange system. It could help consumers if their battery goes bad by not needing to buy a completly new one and prevent fires. Unfortunately, everything is terrible and I imagine this would inevitably turn to some kind of scummy, overpriced, preditory system. I am not sure if damage caused by batteries is enough to justify such a program but I think insurance companies and governments have or will look into it.

      • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de
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        5 months ago

        They’ll make it illegal to charge your own battery. And enshitification will guarantee perpetually rising prices, lower and lower range batteries, or some combination of the 2.

  • narc0tic_bird@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    Ah so this is about swapping the battery on-the-go so you can get rid of your depleted one and get a freshly charged one within minutes.

    That’s actually pretty cool then!

    Not quite sure how this relates to Apple though.

    • Gsus4OP
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      5 months ago

      It’s a joke about how apple made their phone even thinner and the battery still isn’t removable :P

  • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
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    5 months ago

    I don’t oppose the idea of battery station, but who owns the battery then? When I bought the car, am I leasing the battery? How about used car?

    • slaacaa@lemmy.world
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      The company (NIO) owns them and you are leasing the batteries. The car is cheaper this way, as you don’t buy the battery up front, but pay a monthly fee (~200+ in Germany).

      You have a fixed number of swaps per month, above that you have to pay extra.

      Source: colleague uses a car like this and explained the details.

      • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
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        What if they EOL the battery and stops the leasing program? Now the perfectly fine car is non functional because it’s missing a battery. If I replace it, I’m just contributing more waste, not in materal but energy. Is that the “green” future we all after?

        • MaggiWuerze@feddit.de
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          I’d assume you could still charge them the regular way. You’d just no longer get a fresh one, but that just puts you on par with the other EVs

          • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
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            5 months ago

            The ownership is still questionable. Even if that’s the case, you’re stuck with the battery you last swapped in, which you don’t know the wear level or how long it will last.

    • falkerie71@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      So I can give an example. Here in Taiwan, Gogoro has put up a lot of battery swap stations for their electric scooters. When you buy the scooter, it comes with removable batteries which you can charge on your own. Or, you can buy a monthly subscription on top of it that gives you access to those battery stations, where you can ride up to one and swap a pair of freshly charged batteries into your scooter. Subscription price is tiered by Ah per month, if you go over the limit you pay extra per Ah.

      In this case, yes I think Gogoro is in charge of maintaining/replacing old batteries. Subscription is separate from the scooter cost, so buying used should not affect your ability to subscribe to the plan.

      • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
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        it comes with removable batteries which you can charge on your own

        so it is your battery and got additional batteries you can swap on the road with a subscription? That looks promising.

        However, this works for scooters is because the battery pack is small enough for hand carry and install. It won’t be on typical 4-wheel vehicles as those are about a thousand pound. Even if we can modular and miniaturize it like how Gogoro does, where to install it is a big problem. Obviously we can’t install it in the front compartment as that will be a fire hazard when crash.

        • falkerie71@sh.itjust.works
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          so it is your battery and got additional batteries you can swap on the road with a subscription?

          No, you don’t get additional batteries. Once you start using the swapping service, the battery that came with your scooter goes into circulation. I suppose when you decide to stop subscribing to the service, the batteries that you have currently will be yours to keep. (I don’t own a Gogoro btw)

          Yeah, and I agree that this system works great with scooters but not for cars.

          • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
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            Shame. It will be nice if I get a set of batteries I know well when the scooter used less frequently and charging at home makes more sense. Rather gambling on what’s the quality/wear level of the next set will be.

            Guess that’s how they introduce new batteries into the system, and cost them lesser. As long as there are new scooter owners and using the service, there will always be new batteries entering the circulation. All they have to do is pull out old batteries not fit for using out of the loop, and maybe repurpose them for something else, like grid power storage system.

            • falkerie71@sh.itjust.works
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              Ratger gambling on what’s the quality/wear level of the next set will be.

              You shouldn’t need to worry about getting bad batteries. Since it’s priced at an Ah/month basis (there are also km ridden per month plans), you can swap batteries whenever you feel like it. It is on Gogoro to maintain the health of the batteries, and swap in new ones when they go bad (or upgrade battery versions!).

              All they have to do is pull out old batteries not fit for using out of the loop, and maybe repurpose them for something else, like grid power storage system.

              That’s the idea!

              • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
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                5 months ago

                You shouldn’t need to worry about getting bad batteries. Since it’s priced at an Ah/month basis (there are also km ridden per month plans), you can swap batteries whenever you feel like it. It is on Gogoro to maintain the health of the batteries, and swap in new ones when they go bad (or upgrade battery versions!).

                I mean when I use the scooter less frequently (maybe I got a bigger car) or live somewhere else doesn’t have the station, thus canceling the subscription. On that, I guess I will be stuck on the last battery set I swapped in.

                • falkerie71@sh.itjust.works
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                  5 months ago

                  Ah I see. So I took a quick look at their contract and some articles, the ownership of the batteries is with Gogoro during your plan, and they give you the option to pause this plan (30 days minimum a time, 90 days max per year). If you decide to pause or cancel the plan, you will have to return the batteries you currently have, and they will give you spare batteries in return. I don’t think you’ll be guaranteed good batteries either way.

      • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
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        5 months ago

        Subscription for my car? Don’t we have too much subscriptions already?

        And neither solve the ownship problem, and a tons of other problems.

          • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
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            5 months ago

            Gas is more like pas-as-you-go. Battery no so sure. And they are different by nature: gas can’t be reused, batteries can.

            • Brkdncr@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              The energy inside both can’t be reused. Both a gas tank and battery can be refilled.

              Gas is just easier to transfer between containers. Electricity needs it be moved inside its container.

              • conciselyverbose@sh.itjust.works
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                5 months ago

                Electricity is incredibly easy to move between containers. That’s how electric cars work.

                Making charging faster by removing most of the range (because you have way less volume to use if it’s removable) and making a cheap power source obscenely expensive makes no sense.

      • slaacaa@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        You pay a monthly fee (lease) that contains a certain number of swaps per month, above which you pay extra. The car is also cheaper this way, as you are not paying the full price of the the battery up front

          • Pips@lemmy.sdf.org
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            5 months ago

            Sort of like how you pay over and over for gas, without which your car doesn’t work?

              • Pips@lemmy.sdf.org
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                5 months ago

                I don’t see anywhere that you can’t also just buy a battery and charge it yourself if you’d prefer that over a subscription.

                • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
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                  Which the manufacture will either set a high price or simply not offer it. We had this in software (Adobe), and movies/TV shows (Netflix). Companies prefer continuous steady streams of revenue over burst because the numbers will look better for the investors, and easy to show them the solid future of the company.

                  I won’t be in the “Owns nothing and be happy” camp. Or honestly, rarely have things I do not own.

            • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
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              But for gas you don’t need to worry ownership problem as you can’t reuse gas. Once it is burnt, it’s gone.

              Batteries are different because you can recharge it, which brings ownership problem into sight. And unlike gas tank for your grill, which the port is somewhat universal and shape doesn’t matter too much. Car batteries have wear level that affects performamce (range) and are likely designed to fit a car/platform. It isn’t that interchangeable.

      • TAG@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        The model only works if users are forced to subscribe to a battery swapping service for the full life of the vehicle (or there is a large upfront fee to join with a used vehicle). Otherwise it would be too easy for a consumer with a worn out battery to do a one-time swap and get a like-new battery as a cheap alternative to very costly battery repairs. The dumped battery is likely to have very poor range and the battery swap company will need to dispose of it.

    • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      That’s like asking who owns a propane tanks for your grill. You own it while you have it.

      When you get a new batter, you own the new one, and relinquish ownership of the previous one, paying for the electricity that’s on the new battery. AS LONG AS the battery that you’re relinquishing is substantially identical to the new battery.

        • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
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          5 months ago

          Sure. If you’ve abused it in some way so that it doesn’t take or hold charge, then you might have to pay for a replacement battery. But I think there would be an implied warranty when you’re given a replacement, that the replacement was fit for service. And the company might just have to roll the cost or replacing batteries every so often into their electricity pricing models.

    • Drewelite@lemmynsfw.com
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      5 months ago

      In my head the batteries would work somewhat like the electric scooters you can rent around big cities. There would be battery companies that pay stations to stock their batteries. Then EV owners pay for the juice they used, plus a little extra for the wear, plus a little extra to make it worth it for the battery companies when they swap to a new battery. So you’re essentially renting the batteries.

    • tankplanker@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Renault tried leasing the batteries in EV in an effort to lower the initial cost of the car while increasing their tail for future owners. They abandoned it only a few years in as it was a disaster for their used market that got worse the older the car got as nobody wanted the ongoing cost. Only the initial owner saved money, and only if they managed to use PCP finance with a balloon set before Renault realised that the battery leased cars would be worth significantly less.

      Renault also did not like that with older cars they would be liable for the battery replacement far sooner than they planned as they (initially) had a higher percentage unusable before they had to do a free replacement vs. a normal battery warranty, made worse as a leased battery has a warranty as long as you are paying the lease.

      Renault could repossess the car if you stopped paying the battery lease and refused to buy it out. Its like any car finance that puts a lien or similar on the car, you do not own it till its gone.

      • BastingChemina@slrpnk.net
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        5 months ago

        Yeah, when I wanted to buy an electric car I look at the used market for the Renault Zoe but I quickly gave up.

        The idea of paying a monthly subscription on a used car quickly turned me off and buying the leased battery back from Renault was prohibitively expensive.

        • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
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          That just proofs my point in https://lemmy.ml/comment/11726077

          Once they get you on the hook, they can only provide the subscription option, much like how software (Adobe, I’m looking at you) does today. Or have the one-time purchase option be super expensive to lure customers into the subscription model.

          Simply because continous revenue is batter then a one-time purchase.

    • Username@feddit.de
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      I would guess a swappable battery would be separated from the vehicle, similar to a gas bottle for a grill.

      The battery would be rented for a small deposit and on swapping you only pay the energy + service fee.

      I guess you could also buy one to own, but then could not swap that.

      That’s how it would make sense, at least.

      • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
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        5 months ago

        I will take ownership over leasing as a 200 miles range is more than enough for me. But you will see if the leasing model works out, they will only have leasing left for you as that’s a continous money flow. Or have the battery be super expensive to discourage you buy it.

    • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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      It’s not just that, its what happens if you get a battery from a guy named roger who said he knows what he’s doing and fucked with it?

      Battery swapping sounds great, until you put it into a real world scenario.

      • DefederateLemmyMl@feddit.nl
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        Battery swapping sounds great, until you put it into a real world scenario.

        Government regulation and standardization is the answer.

        You know, like fossil fuels also are. For example fuelpumps have to be legally calibrated so that they measure accurately, and there are a myriad of quality standards and ratings regarding what 98 octane or 95 octane or diesel fuel or whatever can contain.

        • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
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          I can already hear a mile away lobbyist paid by the manufactures rubbing their hands arguing standardization “limits innovations” and “slow developments.”

        • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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          How does this solve the issue of roger fucking with his battery and then you ending up with it during a battery swap? You do realize how many states with counties have no inspections right?

          • DefederateLemmyMl@feddit.nl
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            Quality control on batteries that go out to customers, and make the stations legally liable.

            For example: I once pumped petrol in my diesel car due to human error by the gas station’s supply company (they put petrol in the diesel tanks). They found out about the error as I was filling up and stopped me halfway, so luckily I had no engine damage, but they had to pay for the tow and to get my tank emptied.

            how many states with counties have no inspections

            Sounds more like a “your government is shit” problem than a “this scheme can’t work” problem.

            • AA5B@lemmy.world
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              As opposed to quality control from the manufacturer, once for the life of the vehicle, before you even buy, and with a long warranty?

              …… that already exists?

            • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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              Quality control on batteries that go out to customers, and make the stations legally liable.

              Ah, so you’re wanting to transport tons and tons of batteries back to a centralized facility to be inspected and have testing done?

              Sounds more like a “your government is shit” problem than a “this scheme can’t work” problem.

              It’s not a gov problem, it’s a logistics issue.

              • Revonult@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                Gas gets to the gas station somehow. Obviously it isn’t the same as transporting batteries back and forth but it’s bad faith to say this is completely unprecedented logistics problem. I am under the impression that battery health could be screened at the swap facility and would require a small subset to be returned to a hub for additional inspection or repair.

                • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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                  Yea gas is a one way trip, and then it’s into the end customer. It’s not an unprecedented logistics problem, it’s just a logistics problem that ends up requiring a ton of more energy. Batteries need to be able to charge way quicker and hold a longer charge, that’s the problem that should be getting worked, not a how to transport battery packs around.

                • AA5B@lemmy.world
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                  To me, this is the biggest argument against battery swapping.

                  We have this huge industry for refining, storing, distributing, distributing ending gasoline that we can entirely dismantle with EVs. All that pollution: gone. All that wasted land: gone. All those unnecessary levels of profit-seeking: gone. Now you want to choose a technology that requires rebuilding all that, except two way? You want to force the new technology to conform to old infrastructure ideas?

                  How can we not prefer the alternative of “just plug it in wherever you are”? How can we not prefer the rare opportunity of simplifying something? How can we not forgo all those unnecessary profit seekers?

              • DefederateLemmyMl@feddit.nl
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                5 months ago

                Ah, so you’re wanting to transport tons and tons of batteries back to a centralized facility to be inspected and have testing done?

                No, that’s just something new you invented to shoot down the idea.

                Batteries can have a tamperproof seal so that customers can’t easily mess with it, just like you normally don’t mess with the electricity, gas or water meter in your home. QC and charging can be done on site where you swap, and can mostly be automated. The only thing that needs to be transported back and forth regularly are defective and replacement batteries. Just like gas stations at the end of the day or week need to order replenishment for the fuel they’ve dispensed.

                We already do this kind of swapping with other stuff as well: from crates with empty beer bottles and office water cooler bottles to refilling propane and butane bottles.

                It’s not a gov problem, it’s a logistics issue.

                1. The lack of government oversight that you brought up, and which this was in reply to, is literally a government issue. Regulation and inspection works fine in most of the civilized world, the fact that it doesn’t in Backwater USA is no argument.

                2. Fossil fuel distribution already is a huge logistics issue, we have to dig it up in the middle east, transport it in oil tankers, refine it at some central locations, then distribute it again with tanker trucks to millions of gas stations so that finally you can put it in your car and use it to drive somewhere, but somehow we have been making that work for over a century.

                • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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                  No, that’s just something new you invented to shoot down the idea.

                  So each swap station is going to have batteries techs that know what the fuck they’re doing, checking on every battery that comes in?

                  Batteries can have a tamperproof seal so that customers can’t easily mess with it, just like you normally don’t mess with the electricity, gas or water meter in your home.

                  What world do you live in? People fuck with their houses all the time, its why you get an inspection when you buy a home(even if most inspectors only find the shit on the surface).

                  QC and charging can be done on site where you swap, and can mostly be automated. The only thing that needs to be transported back and forth regularly are defective and replacement batteries. Just like gas stations at the end of the day or week need to order replenishment for the fuel they’ve dispensed.

                  Again so you’re going to have ever charge station have basically certified battery engineers that can check out battery systems that come in? Are you also planning on forcing the EV makers into standardized battery packs?

                  We already do this kind of swapping with other stuff as well: from crates with empty beer bottles and office water cooler bottles to refilling propane and butane bottles.

                  Cool, when is the last time you saw an empty beer bottle truck catch fire because roger fucked with his miller lite?

                  1. The lack of government oversight that you brought up, and which this was in reply to, is literally a government issue. Regulation and inspection works fine in most of the civilized world, the fact that it doesn’t in Backwater USA is no argument.

                  Ah so only in good ol EU do you guys not have car crashes and house fires because regulation has solved that shit.

                  1. Fossil fuel distribution already is a huge logistics issue, we have to dig it up in the middle east, transport it in oil tankers, refine it at some central locations, then distribute it again with tanker trucks to millions of gas stations so that finally you can put it in your car and use it to drive somewhere, but somehow we have been making that work for over a century.

                  Cool, whataboutism got it…the real problem you should be talking about is how quickly you can charge a battery and how long it’ll last on said charge…not let’s re-invent the wheel…

          • wagoner@infosec.pub
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            5 months ago

            With my EV I follow recommended practice to ensure longevity of the battery. I rarely charge it more than halfway as I don’t need to for my regular usage, and I avoid letting it run down entirely. Once you engage in battery swapping, where’s the incentive to take care of it well? After my first swap my brand new excellent condition battery is replaced by who knows what.

            • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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              Exactly, this is the equivalent of tire swaps…my tires I take care of and rotate and replace when the tread is worn down, the hell do I want someone’s else batteries being in my car that could end up having a short lift or explode on me.

          • Revonult@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            The charger would have some inspection capability. Maybe not physical integrity of the casing but certainly the voltag and current outputs and connectivity of cells which could would correlate to health.

            • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              Ok, roger shows up dumps his shit battery or ticking time bomb and gets a free battery out of it. Do you plan on requiring everyone to show ID and get a face scan?

              • TAG@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                That is why they make you lease the battery. You cannot swap out your old battery, just the battery you are leasing. Your lease payments include the cost of them replacing batteries.

        • AA5B@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          So now we’re tacking on government regulation and certifications, an independent reaction regime? On top of building out a global infrastructure carrying around batteries that each way a ton, supporting robotics to manipulate those batteries, getting everyone to agree to use the same batteries, etc? Compared to “plug it in wherever you are”?

          Battery swapping is a cool idea and there may be equipment that needs it, but it would just make personal vehicles more complicated and expensive with little gain

      • Gsus4OP
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        5 months ago

        There are already plenty of shady car mechanics named roger who can swindle you out there…

        • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Yea, sure but that doesn’t effect me because I have the chance to know who’s working on my car, you don’t if you habe battery swapping going on.

    • WereCat@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Not just about “who owns it?” but also how does it work with insurance if something goes terribly wrong and who will bear the responsibility?

  • JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    When 52% of all trips made are less than 3 miles and less than 2% are over fifty miles, I don’t think battery swapping is something any individual needs on a regular basis.

    I could get on board if manufacturers were making $10,000 sub 50 mile vehicles that were compatible with a swap station so you could switch to a larger battery for the weekend. This would have to be a standard adopted by all however, and even before that, they’d have to make small cars. Which they won’t, because we all know they are too busy making trucks and SUVs.

    • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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      5 months ago

      The whole “but what about the one journey a year you make that’s outside the normal battery range?” is such an obvious fossil fuel industry boondoggle. It’s up there with “but what about that one time you had to move a fridge?” when convincing people that a Ford F150 is a normal sized family car.

      • JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        It’s almost like they knew in the sixties that they were in for some problems and have since been devising ever more complicated methods of disinforming the public in order to maintain their wealth. Does my head in sometimes.

      • morbidcactus@lemmy.ca
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        5 months ago

        I’m also thinking that way wrt to “we need more fast charging for EVs to work”, I recall that plugging into a standard outlet will get you something like 5-8 km an hour, slow charging is totally acceptable for most people’s usages. If you’re in an area where block heaters are the norm you already have outlets at parking spots, if I could commute to work and plug it in, covers most commutes in a 8 hour day, even those of us who rarely go in and live 70k away I’d be getting most of my range back. For the amount I drive, level 1 charging is more than sufficient.

        I think a compact with 2-300 k range would suit me just fine, would cover the odd longer trip and I’ll totally grab a rental for anything longer, like I already do it I need to move a fridge.

    • Gsus4OP
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      5 months ago

      hear hear for small cars

      PS: and walkable/cyclable cities

      • JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I was looking at the Volt a couple years ago but the only ones around were over 25k. Then I started looking for a BMW i3, but, like so many of the cheaper EVs, there’s not many for sale. It’s a shame these smaller vehicles, even a hybrid, aren’t pumped out the factories left, right, and centre.

        It’d be so much safer - and quieter - in the city if smaller cars were more pervasive.

    • eldavi@lemmy.ml
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      5 months ago

      I could get on board if manufacturers were making $10,000 sub 50 mile vehicles that were compatible with a swap station so you could switch to a larger battery for the weekend. This would have to be a standard adopted by all however, and even before that, they’d have to make small cars. Which they won’t, because we all know they are too busy making trucks and SUVs.

      they make $10k ev’s with 250 mile ranges that are for sale everywhere except the united states & canada. you can get them in australia or western europe for a 50-75%-ish tariff depending on which country you’re in…

      • JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Without knowing any examples of the vehicles that are for sale everywhere except, roughly, half the world, I can’t really say much them. What I can say is that compared to the monstrous subsidies the oil and gas industry recieve, it does seem like those tariffs could be done away with. At least on the face of it, perhaps the issue is more intricate than that but I’m sure you grasp my meaning.

    • fatalError@lemmy.sdf.org
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      5 months ago

      Do people even need a car for a 3 miles trip? You can cover that on a bike in 15-20 mins at a chill pace… Also, 28% of trips are less than a mile? People can’t walk a mile?

      • ocassionallyaduck@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Not speaking for other places, but America is not made for bikes or pedestrians. It is actively hostile to them in the best cases, and filled with explicit murderous intent in others.

        Drivers will actually, actively, try to hit you for daring to take to the roads. And you have to take the road because we have sparse or missing pedestrian sidewalks.

        I wouldn’t wish biking 3 miles in most American cities on anyone used to a properly designed nation.

        • BilboBargains@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Sadly, you are speaking for a great many places. I’ve cycled in most of the countries I’ve visited and it can be relatively dangerous.

          If people want to see how to integrate a public transport network with a cycle path network, places like Netherlands and Denmark are leading the way.

          Over here in the UK we have one of the most regressive attitudes to sustainable transport in Europe. Our trains don’t work and cycling is barely tolerated.

          • Specal@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            This is just anecdotal, but as someone who both drives and cycles in the UK, I’d say it’s city dependent. I live in Leeds, go to uni in Leeds and work in Huddersfield. I cycle to uni, cycle to the train station and drive to work (when I can’t get a train for whatever reason). Leeds is getting there, albeit slowly but it’s getting alot better for cyclists. I like the electric bicycle scheme so I can cycle to the station and just leave the bike there. although it shouldn’t be more expensive than getting a bus.