Something like the Chevy Volt will end up being the future. Except the generator will be removable and replacable to handle different fuels. If not on the fly, then as basic options at purchase.
Pretty much, it’s the most efficient land transport so far. The only issue is scaling, and also most people don’t need an ICE engine of any sort the majority of the time. Thus, making them optional and replacable is the solution to scaling, and fuel variety.
Imagine if it’s just a crate with a standard plug that can just swap out. Only need an extra 100 miles? Plug in a second battery pack. Road tripping across the continent? Plug in a generator and top it up with gas as needed. Heck, imagine if the main battery packs were modular, so you only bring enough battery for your 20 minute commute with you during the week, then add more battery packs for longer trips. Heck with such a model it would make sense to rent a battery for a weekend, or borrow a friend’s battery pack, plus it might also make later life repurposing much easier if the packs can be plugged into a stationary battery without requiring dissassmbly
There’s distinct limits to modularity. Making a standard box size means it’s not really the right size for some things, so it’s wasted space, or bad design choices, to make other things fit. Sometimes it works out better, custom PC parts for instance, other times not so much. Israel tested out a standard battery size with drive through swapping. No waiting for a charge, just drive up a ramp, battery drops out the bottom, new one gets shoved in. It worked, kind of. It turns out the bottom of a car is a harsh environment. There were a bunch of issues that overall didn’t make it better than just plugging into an outlet and waiting. Given the market demands we’re going to end up somewhere between nothing modular, essentially disposable cars, and fully modular replace full systems at the drive through cars. My bet is that batteries will end up fixed, embedded, or otherwise integral part of the vehicle, while charging methods evolve around them. It’s easy enough to drop a mini trailer genset behind an electric car right now. So it’s just a question of when that becomes a real product with more integrated construction. Trucks with a bed make the most obvious early platforms to me. Typical low range usage that needs the bed space, and occasional long distance travel, covers a lot of pick ups use cases. That would be perfect for huge fleets of trucks in the US.
It’s pretty versatile and gets around the range anxiety problem. Not as efficient Vs conventional ice for high speed cruising but great for most other applications.
Most people don’t get to high speed cruise any more. Our highways are too packed. Even when they’re not, there’s always those two guys that have to drive side by side for 30 miles just to get in everyone’s way.
We also have plenty of people who don’t understand how to drive on a highway. In this country we’re only permitted to pass on one side, compounding the problem.
I feel that there isn’t enough diversity in the vehicle types. We have plenty of EV that are 1-2t, essentially a conventional sedan. It’s not a good fit with li-ion. We need lightweight vehicles and the series hybrid bridges the gap while we wait for high density batteries.
Something like the Chevy Volt will end up being the future. Except the generator will be removable and replacable to handle different fuels. If not on the fly, then as basic options at purchase.
A diesel locomotive is the future?
Pretty much, it’s the most efficient land transport so far. The only issue is scaling, and also most people don’t need an ICE engine of any sort the majority of the time. Thus, making them optional and replacable is the solution to scaling, and fuel variety.
Imagine if it’s just a crate with a standard plug that can just swap out. Only need an extra 100 miles? Plug in a second battery pack. Road tripping across the continent? Plug in a generator and top it up with gas as needed. Heck, imagine if the main battery packs were modular, so you only bring enough battery for your 20 minute commute with you during the week, then add more battery packs for longer trips. Heck with such a model it would make sense to rent a battery for a weekend, or borrow a friend’s battery pack, plus it might also make later life repurposing much easier if the packs can be plugged into a stationary battery without requiring dissassmbly
There’s distinct limits to modularity. Making a standard box size means it’s not really the right size for some things, so it’s wasted space, or bad design choices, to make other things fit. Sometimes it works out better, custom PC parts for instance, other times not so much. Israel tested out a standard battery size with drive through swapping. No waiting for a charge, just drive up a ramp, battery drops out the bottom, new one gets shoved in. It worked, kind of. It turns out the bottom of a car is a harsh environment. There were a bunch of issues that overall didn’t make it better than just plugging into an outlet and waiting. Given the market demands we’re going to end up somewhere between nothing modular, essentially disposable cars, and fully modular replace full systems at the drive through cars. My bet is that batteries will end up fixed, embedded, or otherwise integral part of the vehicle, while charging methods evolve around them. It’s easy enough to drop a mini trailer genset behind an electric car right now. So it’s just a question of when that becomes a real product with more integrated construction. Trucks with a bed make the most obvious early platforms to me. Typical low range usage that needs the bed space, and occasional long distance travel, covers a lot of pick ups use cases. That would be perfect for huge fleets of trucks in the US.
It’s pretty versatile and gets around the range anxiety problem. Not as efficient Vs conventional ice for high speed cruising but great for most other applications.
Most people don’t get to high speed cruise any more. Our highways are too packed. Even when they’re not, there’s always those two guys that have to drive side by side for 30 miles just to get in everyone’s way.
We also have plenty of people who don’t understand how to drive on a highway. In this country we’re only permitted to pass on one side, compounding the problem.
I feel that there isn’t enough diversity in the vehicle types. We have plenty of EV that are 1-2t, essentially a conventional sedan. It’s not a good fit with li-ion. We need lightweight vehicles and the series hybrid bridges the gap while we wait for high density batteries.