When do you expect ev bikes to become practical road bikes.

[rphillips]

Yes, I've thought for yrs, for anybody working within 20 or 30 mi. of their work, any EV auto or bike would be a great idea. Also wondered why, living within 20 mi. of 5 towns where many local folks work, nobody I know have dove in to trying an EV yet. No doubt we'll eventually get there.

[dpep]

I don't think battery swapping will ever take off for cars or regular, full size motorcycles, but for scooters, e-bicycles and small motorcycles it makes some sense.

Certainly true with today's battery technology. It will be interesting to see what options are presented as energy densities increase over time. But even if they achieve the density of gasoline the problem with cars and trucks would be how do you do the actual swap. You certainly could not just carry a battery of that size over and slide it into a slot.

One thing I could see happening is EV cars coming with an auxiliary slot to accept a smaller standardized battery or two that could be carried on board or delivered by a service truck that would be enough to get you the next charging station or at least off the freeway.

[bccap]

Certainly true with today's battery technology. It will be interesting to see what options are presented as energy densities increase over time. But even if they achieve the density of gasoline the problem with cars and trucks would be how do you do the actual swap. You certainly could not just carry a battery of that size over and slide it into a slot.

One thing I could see happening is EV cars coming with an auxiliary slot to accept a smaller standardized battery or two that could be carried on board or delivered by a service truck that would be enough to get you the next charging station or at least off the freeway.

Already being done in China ......

https://www.scmp.com/video/scmp-originals/3168635/chinese-smart-battery-swap-stations-can-change-ev-batteries

[wyly]

Technological developments are happening at an amazing pace. Nio I believe is the same company that claims it has Solid State coming very soon.

[dpep]

Already being done in China ......
https://www.scmp.com/video/scmp-orig...e-ev-batteries

Yes, I knew this could be done but I am not at all certain it works at scale. Batteries in every vehicle would have to be mounted and connected in a specific way to match up with the swapper. Would that level of standardization even be possible much less likely across all makes and models of vehicles? Much easier to standardize or adapt a charging port. And It is a whole different operation than simply selecting a battery off the charge rack as is possible with the small vehicles.

Expense would seem to me the biggest impediment. The swap stations obviously cost a lot more than charging stations to build and take up a lot more real estate and would need to store a large inventory of batteries on site. I am glad to see these kind of innovations being tried and implemented but it is hard to see it widely replacing the gas pump model now entrenched in our vehicle use globally.

All that said we don't know how advancing technology is going to change what makes sense and what no longer does. We only know that it will. It's fun to watch.

[rphillips]

It's just evolution, it has always worked pretty good. Predicting this EV stuff will be the same. Just give it time to evolve into something feasible for normal folks and we'll be there... Not there yet, but are getting closer all the time.

[Baatfam]

It's just evolution, it has always worked pretty good. Predicting this EV stuff will be the same. Just give it time to evolve into something feasible for normal folks and we'll be there... Not there yet, but are getting closer all the time.

Believe or not I consider us "normal folks" and we are ready for an EV right now.
Very, very feasible with our current lifestyle.
Same for plenty of folks here in the "big city" I guess....LOL....
There is at least a half dozen Teslas in our little neighborhood.
I've also seen Kia, Ford, Chevy and Hyundai EVs around these parts.

[wyly]

All that said we don't know how advancing technology is going to change what makes sense and what no longer does. We only know that it will. It's fun to watch.

I was looking for some vintage vinyl for my record player and couldn't find some hard to find editions and commented to my son that I may need to get a CD instead. He just starred at me and said "Why? Dad download!" Then later we were in my 24yr old Toyota he saw it had a CD player "Old people technology!" Then he noticed it also had a cassette player, that broke him up.

I how far technology we've come in a very short period, I recall turntables in cars, 8-track, cassettes, digital, Bluetooth, Touchscreens, voice activated,spotify and at each every level I though this is amazing it can't get better. But it does get better someone somewhere is always building on what came before. EV development is exactly the same, all the naysayers predicting the demise of ev because of the shortcomings and hiccups in battery development and infrastructure. Each and every one of those shortcomings has been or will be dealt with and overcome, many in ways we can't imagine, there are literally millions of scientists and engineers pushing technology forward. We're at the tipping point of an EV revolution, ICE's will disappear as fast as 8-tracks, cassettes and flip phones.

I can't begin to imagine what will be possible once quantum computers and AI arrive.

[wyly]

Believe or not I consider us "normal folks" and we are ready for an EV right now.
Very, very feasible with our current lifestyle.
Same for plenty of folks here in the "big city" I guess....LOL....
There is at least a half dozen Teslas in our little neighborhood.
I've also seen Kia, Ford, Chevy and Hyundai EVs around these parts.

I agree, we're realizing we don't need ice's as much as we think we do. 98% of our driving needs can be met with short commutes via an EV. A growing infrastructure will meet our long distance journeys. We're no more likely to run out of battery range than we are of gas, plan your journey and you'll be fine. In 50 years of driving ICE's I've only run out gas once and that was 50 yrs ago, I don't expect driving an ev will be any different.

[rphillips]

Sorry, Bob, that's not at all what I meant by normal folks. Maybe I ought to have said, general population instead of normal folks. I'd think the folks we see driving up and down the rd. are just normal folks, just the general population. When we see those folks, no matter what we call them, buying half of the new autos being sold, I'd think we are there. I just punched it up and was very surprised, 2021 3% of autos sold were EV, 2022 6% were EV, and this yr it says 18% were EV's. Sure looks like we're getting there way quicker than I'd thought we were.

[dpep]

Anybody remember slide rulers?

[dpep]

It looks like Honda is actually playing catch up in the swappable battery game. Kymco and others (mostly Asian others) are well along in their implementation.

https://electrek.co/2023/11/13/how-kymco-hopes-to-change-the-game-for-swappable-battery-evs/

They are selling both the batteries and the controller module (Battery Monitoring Unit or BMU) to go with them. It will make it much easier for companies to get into small ev manufacturing. They (Kymco) are actually facilitating the manufacture of scooters that will compete with their own brand but that will use Kymco's batteries and tech. And scooters can be sold cheap because the battery in it isn't purchased; it is rented. You just swap it our for a new one at a nearby kiosk when you need. It is something akin to the old Gillette model--give away the razors to sell the blades.

The move from ICE to electric motor propulsion opens the door for many different companies to get in the game and for many creative approaches.

[Baatfam]

Anybody remember slide rulers?

Still have one...LOL....

[pdqford]

I still have one, also.
slide.jpg

[wyly]

It looks like Honda is actually playing catch up in the swappable battery game. Kymco and others (mostly Asian others) are well along in their implementation.

https://electrek.co/2023/11/13/how-kymco-hopes-to-change-the-game-for-swappable-battery-evs/

They are selling both the batteries and the controller module (Battery Monitoring Unit or BMU) to go with them. It will make it much easier for companies to get into small ev manufacturing. They (Kymco) are actually facilitating the manufacture of scooters that will compete with their own brand but that will use Kymco's batteries and tech. And scooters can be sold cheap because the battery in it isn't purchased; it is rented. You just swap it our for a new one at a nearby kiosk when you need. It is something akin to the old Gillette model--give away the razors to sell the blades.

The move from ICE to electric motor propulsion opens the door for many different companies to get in the game and for many creative approaches.

An easier market to sell to, SE Asia scooters and small displacement bikes rule the roads short city commutes are the norm.