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Chinese EV maker BYD says new fast-charging system could be as quick as filling up a tank (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 18 points 2 years ago (3 children)

The problem is the form factor. They're broad, flat batteries under the floor of the car, because that's the most available space when you take out the drivetrain. If you wanted to make them swappable, you'd have to sacrifice the space under the hood or the trunk. Or the passenger space. And all that comes with their own safety concerns.

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

    They can drop the battery out from underneath…. You’re not seriously suggesting that this would be done by users and not automatically? The easiest place for this would be exactly where it is now, underneath EVERYTHING.

    It’s not like you are gonna man handle the battery yourself in and out of these dude.

    The precedence is there, there’s scooters that already utilize this exact exchanging. Hell forklifts figured this out decades ago… and you want to make it sound like it would be an issue in todays age? Semis have used it for years too, why do you think they would go back to manually doing it? Even if the batteries were light enough to move by hand, you would spend more time unplugging and plugging them back in than it would be to charge them….

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  • [–] 0 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    That's been suggested, the problem is that that requires additional infrastructure, either digging a pit for the battery to be lowered into via elevator, or raising the car in such a way they still have access to the pack.

    Former is more likely but digging pits like at oil changes is not cheap either.

    Mostly it's a chicken-egg scenario: nobody will make the facilities until there are cars to use it... And the other way.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago*

    … where do you think the battery’s would be stored and charged…? Either on a structure above ground, so drive up on it, or underground and it would already be excavated…

    The extra infrastructure would be there for the changing and charging already, adding the lift or hole is moot and a fraction additional cost.

    And forklifts figured this out well over 5 decades ago this isn’t some engineering unicorn that they need to figure out from the ground up. The techs all over the place already.

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