If you an swap a battery in 4 minutes why bother with charging stations that take longer?
It also removes the effect of battery decline on depreciation .
There would need to be strict standards. It would not do for every manufacturer to use its own battery design.
“standard EV in China now included TVs, fridges, massage chairs with zero gravity (that is, seats that recline to near-flat), surround-sound audio, and above all else, digital connectivity.”
Car internet connectivity?
I suppose that means it has a builtin computer?
I hope it is disabled while driving?
I think that type of thing has been suggested. It makes some sense for sure. Where I live, we swap small propane tanks to attach to gas grills. The batteries would have to be standardized and that might be a stickler. All the manufacturers want to differentiate themselves. Different vehicles are different shapes and sizes too. The manufacturers probably put all the batteries they can in their vehicle. Only so many could be swapped. Still could be worth it maybe.
They exist now in China. They have robot swapping stations.
Yes like gas cylinders.
I guess there would have to be a range of sizes , like with ordinary car batteries,
One of my (P)EV (personal Electric Vehicle) has a removable battery… RX20 folding e-bike…
It’s the single most expensive component of the whole thing… and the dodgy supplier tried to tell me I couldn’t replace the claimed 17 Ah battery with a 20Aah… and I see there’s now a 24 Ah option…
Imagine the size needed to power a car, they are the size of the floor plan. Who would choose the standard layout for all. I think stellas who own many euro standard cars are looking for a standard which may allow that in future.
The Japanese motor cycle makers are closer to doing that but better sizes and weights for scooters and small Cc bikes.
A full gas bottle is very heavy to lift and put in place same rule for batteries. A leasure battery for a camping car I can only just move and once in place it stays there.
The most practical suggestion for replaceable batteries that I’ve seen is to use them for EV trucks pulling 1, 2, or even 3 trailers. The idea was to stock batteries at truck stops and use the unneeded oil change pits to remove and replace them, allowing the trucks to roll through and “refuel” in minimum time.
Naturally, this would require an impossible amount of cooperation between truck and battery manufacturer and so would be far from practical. That it’s brilliantly simple and workable is ignored.
Imagine the cost of stock in an exchange bay plus the amount of electricity supply not to mention change time, not yet practical.
Better to use a system of recharge on route, bit like a solar panel
As a child on my bike I had a dynamo, it ran against my wheel to provide power for my lights instead of a battery, some form of power generation if efficient could be better.
Personally I will stick with my diesel car, which I hope out lasts me as don’t want to buy another
That is why the Chinese have robotic battery exchange stations
They are used in forklifts, and I think tractors would be a good application because farms usually have gear for handling heavy items. On a farm you could charge one battery while using another.
The Chinese seem to be way ahead of us with making brilliant simple ideas work even if they cut across demarkations.
With power tools I can use 4,5,6,8 ah batteries, as long as they are the same voltage.
Decent lithium batteries made an enormous difference to power tools. A battery drill today performs nearly as well as a corded drill.
Power tools are designed for battery swapping, and for sharing one battery among multiple tools. … but they do have the issue of every manufacturers batteries being different… no standards yet.
Our local oyster farm shops and restos use gas power, big bottles on back, there was a move some years back for hydrogen power in cars with bottles fitted in boot, but not seen them for several years due to recharge stations been few and far between
Yes, there are gas forklifts too., but LPG cars did not catch on … the government put a tax on LPG to make its price match petrol, so all the advantage disappeared.
I have enough trouble with diesel tractors. Beasts to start.
We never did put enough development into external combustion engines. They are simple and rugged.
BTW We are celebrating in Australia today following the birth of a set of identical quadruplets … all doing well, no complications. They are female.
It is about a one in 15 million event.
