Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuzz
The problem with that thinking is the batteries tend to be hard to access. You can't make them easy, as they are now being used as a structural part of the car(some new Tesla's like the Y). Even if they aren't structural, they stuff them where they can at the lowest COG possible. Any change to that is a compromise on other aspects. And then you have to support this as an after market add on, which has other costs. I just don't see any automaker doing it.
If you are interested I'd recommend watching some of the Munro teardown's of various EV's, I think you will understand the challenges to your proposal better.
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Of course it's a design challenge against the developing norms, but it's not insurmountable.
Even now we're seeing models that come as Hybrid/PHEV/EV (Kia Niro for example) - each having a different capacity battery. Chrysler Pacifica can be a PHEV, or not (mid-row can fold down where the batteries would otherwise be). AFAIK there are no difference in the platform/chasis designs for each.
Of course they are going to be tough to access and isn't going to be like changing your own oil in your driveway...though I just went down a youtube rabbithole that shows it isn't totally inconceivable:
If a youtuber can pull that off, I feel pretty confident the engineers at various billion dollar car companies could figure out a right-sizing model.
I posted this a while ago...I doubt this particular venture amounts to anything special, but it shows that tech/design are not really the barrier here
This'll probably just be another one of those things that the rest of the world ends up doing but "would never work in North America"