I think erev tech is perfect for Australia that lacks a little charging infastruacure Very long range and still retains the feel of EV power, you can drive very long distance on a tank of fuel and in the case of xpeng, you get over 200 k of ev only range which I think is much better than standard phev of arpound 100 and would suit 90% of my personal use
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Thatâs what Iâve effectively got with my 10YO BMW i3. With a winter time, part freeway, real distance of 160-180km of pure EV range, with a Range Extender for longer trips or in case you get âcaught outâ and donât want to stop and charge.
I do a lot of city/suburb driving daily, and Iâd say that small range does 98% of my required travel distance, with running on the Range Extender or stopping to charge making up the other around 2%.
We still have an older Kia Carnival for road trips or carrying a group of people to the footy. But those occasions are rarer than youâd expect, and we put almost all our kms on the i3, running on almost all grid power at 4.7 cents per kWh. Or about $1.40 for a full range top up. This will drop lower in Summer, when I get to channel more daily free energy from the sun toward EV running cost.
The advantage of a smaller EV range is smaller & lighter battery, so more economical power usage, less tyre wear etc. Mine uses around 14 kWh per 100km, which is Tesla-like efficiency, compared with many EVâs, like BYD, that tend to have official usages of around 20 kWh per 100km or higher. They have much greater range than mine, but youâd be surprised how infrequently you need that extra range, and youâre lugging up to hundreds of extra kg of weight around in the extra battery size for the occasional time you need it.
Everyone thinks they need the top range model. But you can save big money, run more economically, and save tyre and brake wear by right sizing your battery when you buy.
To be fair, the biggest advantage of a larger battery is you can recharge less frequently, and get less cycles and therefore slower battery degradation, which matters for current tech batteries. But probably wonât matter much for next gen batteries from next year onwards.
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I wish !!
You can get close to that with City driving as long as it is flattish and weather is ok.
On a trip, only possible if highway cruising at 80 kph and in ideal weather conditions
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What youâre supposed to do as you get old? Well, babysitting for, or at least smiling benignly at, grandchildren is on the list. Also sitting in coffee shops with other old farts who also donât have anything to do.
You can also try yelling at clouds.
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I get that without economy mode, while enjoying decent acceleration from lights with heating on, etc. mineâs not as quick off the line as a current dual motor performance EV pulling 4-ish seconds to 100km, but at about 7 seconds to 100km, itâs better than most ICE vehicles, and with rear wheel drive and non-slip, it performs exactly the same on wet roads as dry. And itâs still quicker than many new base model EVs taking 10 seconds to 100km.
At 1440kg itâs light for an EV, while still having more space for the driver and front passenger than many larger cars, and visibility better than any car Iâve owned prior, with the B pillar integrated and set back further with the suicide door, and large rear windshield. And turning circle with a short wheelbase rear wheel drive is great.
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I missed out on that plan by about 2 weeks. It was probably the best plan around for simply using as much power as you like, without having to even think about rationalising.
However, at 4.5-4.7 cents overnight, and with solar still generating extra power during the day, itâs possible the new EV plan is even better if your battery is large enough to get you through. And you can still do an occasional top up at around 18 cents per kWh between 11am and 4pm if needed, making it probably similar to your current plan cost during Winter, and closer to half the price in Summer.
Not quite that old yet!
Also happened to read the MG Urban has been fitted with a 95% solid state battery in China already, soon to be in Europe and possibly Australia not far off. Decent leap which Iâd probably be inclined to wait for. But Iâm wondering if they might have it concurrent and at a heftier price with the current cars.
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I didnât know that. CBA recently has a deal with âMoreâ to give heavily discounted internet and phone services. But I since found out More is just a shopfront for Tangerine.
I will leave as soon as the discount period ends.
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You mentioned this before. What is going to happen here? I assume it is some innovation from a Chinese manufacturer�
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Doesnt barnz just get affronted at everything?
And as it turns out, Sir Richard Branson only has 2 sisters.
I looked at it further, and it is owned by Andrew and (not Sir) Richard Branson.
So youâre safe to support them without guilt.
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BYDâs Blade 2 batteries are expected to last upwards of a million km or up to 30 years. Similar to CATLâs next generation LFP batteries, due in most other brand EVs from next year.
Meanwhile, the earliest Sodium based batteries will begin to show up in EVs toward the end of next year and ramp up from there. They are expected to last close to 6 million kms, and have no rare metals. Iâve heard some people say they could still be working up to a century after production.
China has also just removed a 4% tax exemption on Lithium batteries, and placed a 4% tax exemption on Sodium batteries. Boosting that category. Theyâve also added the worldâs highest safety standard on all EV batteries, which now have to be independently tested and determined not to be capable of thermal runaway. This new standard strongly favours Sodium batteries, and requires Lithium battery producers to make considerable investment in safety features in order to keep producing them.
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âThe Homerâ
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It looks ridiculous. Only a â â â â â â â â would want to be seen driving one.
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or men with micro peenis
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I drove a Cybertruck and it was great fun, goes like a rocket.
The windows were so tinted that no-one could inside.
Is that a good or a bad thing for the people looking ?
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Itâs hilarious that for so long thereâs been this âNo, itâs actually brilliant design, the lines are exquisite, itâs purposeful and forward lookingâ noise from what I can only assume is a kind of âdesign broâ subculture - itâs something that, if it was presented on the set of a b grade 80âs sci fi movie, the director wouldâve sighed and said âOk, we donât have time to get anything else together, weâll shoot it from below and use a lot of strobe.â Itâs utterly ridiculous.
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I would never buy one, donât like the looks and it costs a fortune. Huge inside, but easy to drive and was just quick.
I was in Houston at the time, so all cars seem huge there.