this post was submitted on 27 Dec 2023
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[–] Slatlun@lemmy.ml 214 points 1 year ago (7 children)

'252 km (157 miles) range' to save others the same skimming I did

[–] Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zone 127 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not bad for that battery's first outing

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 69 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Perfect for my needs. But I doubt it will ever be for sale here in the U.S.

[–] indigomirage@lemmy.ca 60 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The key is that with the right use case, it frees up lithium to be used where only it is suitable.

(for my needs I'd be fine with sodium...)

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I can see that. My point is that the only electric car that has that range in the U.S. is the Leaf, which goes 168 miles on the smaller battery. I don't need an electric car that goes that many miles between charges. I'd be fine with 90. I'd probably be fine with less than 90. We have a second car if we ever want to leave town. I'd ditch my hybrid and get a cheaper electric car that didn't have a huge range, but it isn't even on offer.

[–] Pretzilla@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Dude get a used Leaf or Bolt. There is a $4k tax credit or direct price reduction for used now.

[–] ramble81@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

Got any info on that? Looking at buying out my EV lease and wonder if I can get that added.

[–] indigomirage@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago

For sure! I think we're going to have to move away from a one-size fits all car design. For general city use, I use a Chevy Bolt, but for longer (infrequent) runs, I'm still stuck with ICE (I'd use a hybrid if I had one). In Canada, the range really does go down in the winter. (and Canada has not taken charging infrastructure very seriously - mandatory for adoption)

Anyway you look at it, these are very, very positive developments.

[–] EatYouWell@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I would love to have an electric smart car for running errands.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Exactly! Something cheap and tiny for just going around town.

[–] Num10ck@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

check out the bmw i3 if you are good with that range

[–] thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

They are as expensive as the other EVs and aren't eligible for the US reimbursement 🫤

They are kinda ugly too... Which sucks because I really love the BMW driving experience

My problem is that I need >100 mile range. I live in a cold climate and have a 50 mile, round-trip commute (and high speed, so even worse range), so if EVs get half the range in the winter, I could stuck. There isn't a big set of cars in the 100-150 mile range, usually you get something older and used with <100, or current cars get >200 and you pay the price for it.

A new Leaf is something like $30k, and used Leafs are something like $17k, so it's absolutely not worth replacing my reliable hybrid car at that price. If I could get a new car around $20k with ~150 mile range, or a used car (~5 years old) with 100-150 mile range for 10k, I'd probably buy it. But that just isn't a thing right now. So I'm waiting.

[–] tills13@lemmy.world 62 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I've found people vastly overstated how much range they need. 99% of usage is in the city between home and somewhere else. 250km is perfect if the price is right.

[–] Sestren@lemmy.world 36 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

For daily use, sure - but it completely excludes itself as an option for road trips in the US and parts of Canada. There's a stretch of interstate road near me with nearly a 100 mile gap between service stations.

I know that this isn't the purpose of this battery, but it's a valid reason why a lot of people might be hesitant to buy one. Many people can't afford multiple vehicles for different purposes. You have the car you drive to work with, and if you happen to go on a trip you just use the same thing.

Maybe 99% of use occurs within constraints that this battery can handle, but if you can only afford one vehicle, then this is still a pretty suboptimal option. That being said... it could still be cheap enough to not matter. I didn't see any mention of price in that article.

[–] ExLisper@linux.community 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Maybe we have to settle for suboptimal solutions from time to time to save the planet?

[–] ImFresh3x@sh.itjust.works -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That’s not how car sales work. People want EVs without major downsides. Until that’s what’s available we won’t be see EVs surpass 10% market share.

[–] ExLisper@linux.community 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I know, people are not willing to comprises for the good of the planet. That's why we're so fucked.

[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

They should raise the driving age to 30. Then people would understand what a privilege driving really is.

[–] krakenx@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

A solution to this would be an extra expansion battery that you could buy or rent as an add-on only when needed.

[–] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 35 points 1 year ago (2 children)

...or rent a vehicle with the fuel savings from driving your EV most of the year, and skip putting a couple thousand km on your car over a long weekend.

[–] I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

This is what I do.

[–] Buttons@programming.dev 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

You still pay the cost of driving a car a couple thousand km though, right?

[–] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Most rental places in the states don't charge mileage iirc

[–] Threeme2189@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 year ago

If we're going all in with expansion packs we should add a rumble pack as well 😏

[–] greenmarty@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

or don't buy city car for intercity trips. Get li-ion powered cars or wait for them to make model with bigger range.

[–] dubyakay@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 year ago

Just use Communauto for those once a quarter out of town trips.

[–] greenmarty@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

It seems to me that car in the article is relatively small city car. I can imagine that building bigger car with inter city travels in mind would also include an improved range.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Exactly. We have two cars, and we only need one to have any kind of range. The other is fine with 250km/150mi range, but it needs to be relatively inexpensive to buy and repair. It'll just be for a daily commute and around-town driving, no expectation for long-distance.

It doesn't need space for people or stuff, just 2-4 passengers is plenty. It'll strictly be for commutes and small trips to the grocery store and whatnot, the other car can be used for larger trips.

[–] toothbrush@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Id like to add that there are different versions of the car, with the long range version being 302km range, and the battery mass to energy ratio is actually average compared to other batteries.

https://www.batterydesign.net/sehol-e10x-sodium-ion/

[–] casmael@startrek.website 11 points 1 year ago

Wow that sounds very useable

[–] chitak166@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (4 children)

That's not bad if the price is right.

I'd be willing to buy one for ~$5-8k.

[–] Deiv@lemmy.ca 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

5-8k for a car in this day and age? That's the price of a scooter

[–] ExLisper@linux.community 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

The Ami starts for substantially more than that.

And even then, it's not legally classified as a car. It has virtually no crash safety, a top speed of 28mph assuming no incline, and a real world range of 40 miles.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Ami, but it's a scooter alternative more than a car alternative.

[–] soggy_kitty@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Lmao $5k for a brand new car. You're dreaming mate

[–] chitak166@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Who ever said brand new?

Might want to brush up on your reading comprehension, 'mate'.

[–] soggy_kitty@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's a post about a new vehicle, when you talk about "buying one" it's clearly inferred you're buying from the factory.

Also, there's no need to be a complete dick. It's not a good look for you

[–] chitak166@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago

No, it's not inferred at all. The vast majority of people buying cars buy them used.

You're just desperate to justify your assumption.

I'd pay $15-20, depending on how well it worked.

[–] auroraborealiz@sopuli.xyz -1 points 1 year ago

Perfectly usable for urban travel in Chinese cities

[–] gregorum@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

And recharging times?