Quote:
Originally Posted by AltaGuy
I don't get why there isn't a push for "swappable" batteries in EVs? So you drive up to a "gas station", they have a machine that pops out your battery and puts in a new one that's fully charged, and away you go. Maybe you can carry a spare one on longer trips. Batteries that no longer hold a charge get recycled.
Is it that Tesla et al are all jealously guarding their battery tech? This has been bothering me for awhile!
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I think that would lead to people abusing the batteries more, and you possibly getting duds. They are very expensive, so just stocking them would be a big investment.
A lot of EV's are moving to structural batteries, so the pack is the floor of the vehicle. This saves weight, which is important given how heavy batteries are. Designing for swapability would mean all vehicles using that pack would need to be identical in shape. You also have more than just a battery plug, you have cooling and heating tubing to connect, along with monitoring. I think there are just too many sacrifices to be made.
I know they do it in China, but they live with the sacrifices, and I think it is mostly taxi companies doing it there?