Article on EV Batteries from Autoweek: FUD or Valid Points?

[igotzzoom]

When I started reading this, I thought for sure it was a ICE-apologist hit piece on EVs, and without a doubt, the author takes a dim view of EVs. However, he does bring up some interesting and valid points. I think by necessity there will need to be the option to swap out or upgrade batteries in the future, otherwise, you're going to see EV resale values continue to plummet, like they have on the Leaf and 500e. I think this will be less of a problem in the future, as 200-300 miles becomes the standard, and battery longevity improves, but as batteries get better, longer-range, and faster-charging, there's no doubt it will impact resale on older EVs.

Will electric cars last longer than gas and diesel cars?

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

You can't compare a 5 year iPhone to a 5 year old Tesla... my car still runs and drives fine. This article is 5% truth and 95% BS.
A car - gas or electric - doesn't become obsolete when the latest model adds power butt massagers. long as it moves and can A to B to A, it's still a car.

All cars depreciate like rocks. use this to your advantage, buy a few years old and save some bucks!

I'm waiting for a 100D to hit $75k used... through the magic of depreciation I can have the toys I want at the price I want.

 

[S'toon]

ICE cars don't work flawlessly for 20+ years. They rust out. There are mechanical problems. I had costly repairs done to my current car right after the warranty ran out. It needs more repairs now.

 

[William13]

I just read the opinion piece. I agree with 95%FUD and 5% truth. Old tired arguments against EV. No quantitative argument just new cars depreciate while old cars work. Though the concerns are valid they are over dramatized and the old hat about lithium mining as being somehow worse than other mining (e.g. coal) or AGW is retreaded. Evidently cars are not recycled and lithium batteries cannot be recycled. This forgets that it is just not yet economic until a tipping point of batteries exist to make the recycling a profitable business.

 

[Discoducky]

I know ICE cars go slower overtime, my 60 goes almost 1 faster 5 years later thanks to OTA updates. I still need to read the article however.

Scratch that, I just read it, 95% FUD. It takes a lot of energy to make an ICE drivetrain as well as an EV drivetrain. Geez.

And I'll be buying a new battery when mine runs out. Not sure when that will happen but I'm at 90k miles, 5 years on my 60kWh.

 

[Quick2Judge]

I would still rather have an iPhone 1 than the flip phones Ford will still be selling in 5 years.

 

[Quick2Judge]

As far as the non FUD 5% of the article when 500-600 mile batteries are standard in 5+ years it will be interesting to see if we can swap out /upgrade the batteries in our "classics". Maybe by that time there will be non OEM batteries to choose from...just like laptops. Batteries used to cost $40,000 and now <$15,000 I don't really see how this is a bad thing. I think cheaper battery replacements will extend the life of the car...not shorten it. If in 5 years I can pay $8,000 for a 600 mile battery or $80,000 for a new 600 mile car I may just keep my car.

 

[Got-EMF]

I think this will be less of a problem in the future, as 200-300 miles becomes the standard, and battery longevity improves, but as batteries get better, longer-range, and faster-charging, there's no doubt it will impact resale on older EVs.

200-300 miles is already the Tesla standard. Yes, newer is usually better but, many people can live happily with a vehicle that can only get 200 miles between charges. What percentage of Tesla batteries have had to be replaced because they wore out over up to nine years and hundreds of thousands of miles now?