Auto execs are coming clean: EVs aren't working

Lee Duna@lemmy.nz to Technology@lemmy.world – 48 points –
Auto execs are coming clean: EVs aren't working
businessinsider.com
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Yeah, a surprising number of people don't want these hyper complex cars with thousands of microchips and millions of lines of code operating them. Give me an electric 2012 Honda fit/Toyota matrix equivalent that just fucking works and costs $20k or less new.

Yes please. I want my car to work without tracking and software updates.

I’m just refusing to buy a car newer than 2008. Really an arbitrary cutoff, but that seems to be about when every car started to get as many electronics into them as possible.

Yeah, I don't care about color changing LEDs in the trim or talking computers, just give me a cheap android-auto-compatible head unit (replaceable please, none of that integrated bullshit), a cheap instrument cluster and a real handbrake.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/advice/best-new-cars-under-20000

An EV at that price was always unrealistic the battery is 75% that cost. But an ICE under 20 is easy. People just want nicer shit when they see the vehicles or have to head to Mitsubishi.

Everyone's super obsessed with 300-400 mi ranges though. 100mi would be totally fine for most people and would require a small fraction of the battery (bigger batteries give decreasing returns)

Until it's not, and then it's an expensive pain. I travel 500 + 700 miles three times a year and renting a car for a week isn't viable. There are enough edge cases just like that for most people.

Nobody wants to stop for 25 minutes (if you are lucky and don't have to wait in queue) on their longer trips.

The actual solution you agree looking for is PHEV. That's the middle ground that's perfect for most individuals.

The phev f150 is the most functional auto/tool for travel and work I've ever seen.

It’s the batteries. They are the biggest cost in an EV. The margins on such a car would be too low. Even the new Volvo XC30 is 35k plus which is one of the cheapest and most barebones EV.

But Volvos have never been cheap. Also big and heavy forever.

Make an eFit for $15 - 20k and sell a bazillion of them.

Good luck finding enough batteries for that many cars. That’s the entire problem right now. They can’t scale the production to the point that will make the production of econobox EVs reasonably profitable. Because the worldwide production capacity of lithium batteries is lagging behind the demand right now. Also why the cost of the batteries are high.

Well the answer is right there - smaller cars, smaller packs. Can power 2 or 3 fit sized EV's for every lightning F150 pack.