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The first EV with a lithium-free sodium battery hits the road in January (www.engadget.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 68 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I've found people vastly overstated how much range they need. 99% of usage is in the city between home and somewhere else. 250km is perfect if the price is right.

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  • [–] 42 points 2 years ago* (6 children)

    For daily use, sure - but it completely excludes itself as an option for road trips in the US and parts of Canada. There's a stretch of interstate road near me with nearly a 100 mile gap between service stations.

    I know that this isn't the purpose of this battery, but it's a valid reason why a lot of people might be hesitant to buy one. Many people can't afford multiple vehicles for different purposes. You have the car you drive to work with, and if you happen to go on a trip you just use the same thing.

    Maybe 99% of use occurs within constraints that this battery can handle, but if you can only afford one vehicle, then this is still a pretty suboptimal option. That being said... it could still be cheap enough to not matter. I didn't see any mention of price in that article.

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

    If 99% is covered by this then cover your last 1% by renting a vehicle has that ever occurred to you ?

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  • [–] 10 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    I agree with your logic. It makes perfect sense to rent a vehicle for edge cases.

    However, I disagree that you’re going to encourage mass adoption by asking people to change their lifestyle. A large amount of the US population views their vehicle as more than a tool to get to and from work. It’s an extension of their personality. Road trips might be part of that personality.

    They’re sold on the marketing ideals of luxury, comfort, or adventure. They buy accessories for these vehicles like roof-racks for their luggage or campers/trailers to help them travel across the country while keeping that comfort of home. Tens of thousands of campers are still sold in the U.S. every year and EV’s are a nonstarter for towing more than 75 miles.

    No one enjoys renting an unfamiliar Honda CR-V where the seat doesn’t feel quite right for long periods of time, there’s something sticky on the shift handle, the previous driver smoked in it, and you hear a plastic creaking sound coming from the back seat. You can’t quite figure out from where and it’s driving you insane.

    Until EV’s can match the convenience and capability of ICE vehicles, adoption is going to be limited.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago

    average american has two vehicles. Its literally not even a lifestyle change: one EV, one hybrid or gas vehicle will cover 100% of normal use cases. EVs have lower maintenance costs and longer predicted life spans and don't waste as much energy in stop and go traffic. They are superior commuter vehicles.

    The problem is vehicle fleets. Trucks and busses will be hard to replace effectively and they mostly need longer discharge cycles and ranges.

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

    Maybe we have to settle for suboptimal solutions from time to time to save the planet?

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

    That’s not how car sales work. People want EVs without major downsides. Until that’s what’s available we won’t be see EVs surpass 10% market share.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    A solution to this would be an extra expansion battery that you could buy or rent as an add-on only when needed.

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  • [–] 39 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    ...or rent a vehicle with the fuel savings from driving your EV most of the year, and skip putting a couple thousand km on your car over a long weekend.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago*

    Most of the pollution problem is in cities with lots of vehicles. EVs dont do as much for their purpose at the hindredth meridian where the great plains begin...driving down a cordoroy road, weeds standing shoulder-high

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago*

    Exactly. We have two cars, and we only need one to have any kind of range. The other is fine with 250km/150mi range, but it needs to be relatively inexpensive to buy and repair. It'll just be for a daily commute and around-town driving, no expectation for long-distance.

    It doesn't need space for people or stuff, just 2-4 passengers is plenty. It'll strictly be for commutes and small trips to the grocery store and whatnot, the other car can be used for larger trips.

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