Dumb questions about electric cars.

[RambleTamble]

I rode in a Tesla Uber. It was very comfortable and quiet.

 

[Flarbalard]

I read that in China they have battery swap stations much like the quick oil change places here, you pull in and in just a few minutes they swap out your battery with a fully charged one.
China is betting on battery swaps to tackle EV chargers shortage

I don't remember how long ago, early '80's ?, but in a Popular Mechanics there was an article about someone obtaining a patent for automated service stations that were designed to swap electric car batteries as it was the best way forward to making electric cars practical.

 

[debodun]

My dad used to say, "Never buy anything new until all the bugs are worked out."

I think people are more interested now that gas prices are skyrocketing.

Charging stations aren't free, so I can't use one. They require a credit or debit card, or a phone app.

 

[Rich]

I don't remember how long ago, early '80's ?, but in a Popular Mechanics there was an article about someone obtaining a patent for automated service stations that were designed to swap electric car batteries as it was the best way forward to making electric cars practical.

They should have patented the idea, it seems like the best way to go if one plans to take long trips in an EV.

 

[Rich]

My dad used to say, "Never buy anything new until all the bugs are worked out."
I think people are more interested now that gas prices are skyrocketing.
Charging stations aren't free, so I can't use one. They require a credit or debit card, or a phone app.

Additionally, as mentioned earlier, the super chargers are not much cheaper than the gas.

 

[RambleTamble]

I don't remember how long ago, early '80's ?, but in a Popular Mechanics there was an article about someone obtaining a patent for automated service stations that were designed to swap electric car batteries as it was the best way forward to making electric cars practical.

Those batteries are typically 5 to 7 feet long, 4 to 5 feet wide, and 4 to 6 inches thick and about 1,000 pounds, so swapping one out isn't a simple task.

I think Israel also tried out swapping batteries, and China, too.

For that to work, batteries would need to be standard sizes. One solution for the size issue is, they could use several small batteries instead of one big battery. Larger vehicles would use more batteries than smaller vehicles.

It's doable, but it would probably need a partnership with the government, and that's not going to fly in this day and age!