Would You Like an Electric Car?

How much does an electric car battery weigh?

How much do electric car batteries weigh?

Current electric car batteries have an average weight of around 1,000 lbs, but they will vary depending on the vehicle – some have much heavier batteries while smaller vehicles may have lighter ones. For example, Tesla is one of the top EVs on the market, holding 66% of the market share. Their batteries can take you over 370 miles on a single charge, so it should come as no surprise that a Tesla battery is estimated to weigh up to a staggering 1,836 lbs. By comparison, the smaller vehicles can have batteries weighing well under 1000 lbs – over half the weight of a Tesla battery.

Do EV batteries weigh more than engines?

Yes, the batteries used in electric cars weigh more than traditional gas-powered vehicles. Despite internal combustion engines having around 2,000 parts in their powertrain, an EV’s battery nonetheless weighs a lot more. The Nissan Leaf is one of the lightest electric vehicles weighing 3,516 to 3,934 lbs, while the Mercedes EQS is one of the heaviest at 5,467 to 6,493 lbs. To put this into perspective, a gas-powered Mercedes SUV with an internal combustion engine weighs slightly less, between 3,487 to 5,927 lbs. While a gas-powered Ford Focus will weigh between 2,935 and 3,434 pounds.

Based on these examples, EVs can weigh in the region of 15-20% more than their gas-powered counterparts.
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There is a lot of very heavy propaganda put out by the EVangelists.
 
Don M. said:
EV's might be a good choice for local transportation in warmer climates...If the owner has a "in home" charger station. However, they currently have too many "shortcomings" to replace gas/diesel vehicles for most purposes.
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Perhaps you might look to Norway where EV adoption is strong, it's pretty cold there.
Timewise 60+ said:
againstthegrain...can you tell us how in the heck would we as a country deal with the old batteries that would come out of an America with all electric automobiles? We can reuse the metal in gas engines!
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Recycle.....just like IC cars. The batteries have valuable materials that someone will soon figure out how to extract profitably just like when IC cars began to be recycled in the 1960's. Before then IC cars went to the landfill.
 
I don't have a big problem with electric cars where they are viable and one already has two or more reliable vehicles and just wants another toy. But I object to the rich getting government handouts to subsidize these vanity products and a corporate charging infrastructure. Not to mention the extra load placed on power generation and transmission.

Remote combustion vehicles can probably be tolerated in small numbers as another perk of wealth and uncaring consumption working people can't combat but those numbers have already been surpassed. So we'll have to suck it up and tolerate more environmentally hostile wind farms, solar, hydro, nuclear, oil and coal burning. Not to mention the waste, trade imbalance hardships, labor exploitation, short product life cycles, costly fire fighting equipment and training expenses, and the burden on motorist services from dead EVs by the side of the roads.

Oh wait. Screw the effete. Ban all motor travel in such areas and let them use the mass transit we already subsidize for them and they can bike the rest.
 
againstthegrain said:
Perhaps you might look to Norway where EV adoption is strong, it's pretty cold there.

Recycle.....just like IC cars. The batteries have valuable materials that someone will soon figure out how to extract profitably just like when IC cars began to be recycled in the 1960's. Before then IC cars went to the landfill.
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So do you consider the average person in Norway to have a similar lifestyle as the average American. I don't think so...we drive many more miles and have in general further to go to work every day than in Norway. Not to mention the cost of gas in Norway...
Discussing the battery issue and the potential recycling complexity and associated risks are too many to mention here...do your own research!
 

2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray​

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a45484964/2024-chevrolet-corvette-e-ray-test/
The Corvette emerges from the petroleum age into the modern era of electrification with the new E-Ray, a hybrid juiced up to go faster—not farther—on each gallon of gas.

It has a 160 HP electric motor in the front. It is just for extra accelerating power. It doesn't improve gas mileage.

Only thing I like is that if you don't want to bother the neighbors, you can drive out with the electric motor only (5 mile range) and then turn on the loud V8 engine away from home.
 
Timewise 60+ said:
So do you consider the average person in Norway to have a similar lifestyle as the average American. I don't think so...we drive many more miles and have in general further to go to work every day than in Norway. Not to mention the cost of gas in Norway...
Discussing the battery issue and the potential recycling complexity and associated risks are too many to mention here...do your own research!
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Throw up all the roadblocks and petty issues you want. To me that indicates a failure of imagination, lack of faith in man's ability to over come problems, and a high resistance to change.

I bet you had trouble finding gas stations when you bought your first Model T but that didn't stop cars from being introduced and over taking the beloved nag for transportation.
 
againstthegrain said:
Could you imagine running out of gas or diesel in the middle of a NV desert or snowstorm? Yes.

Batteries might weigh 600lbs - how much do internal combustion engines weigh - nothing?
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Not a good argument

I'd rather tote a gas/diesel can to a service station than have my EV towed to an outlet

As far as EV autos;
The batteries need much improvement
The grid needs some serious thought

I see it as a race to improve EVs before we deplete the oil supply

I'd get one, but I'm thinkin' it'll be awhile
 
I did some research on battery power in cold temps.

Mars Rover

NASA - "NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has emerged from its first night on the surface of Mars.

Evening temperatures at Jezero Crater can plunge as low as minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 90 degrees Celsius), which can freeze and crack unprotected electrical components and damage the onboard batteries required for flight. Surviving that first night after being deployed from where it was attached to the belly of NASA’s Perseverance rover on April 3 is a major milestone for the 4-pound (1.8 kilograms) rotorcraft. In the days to come, Ingenuity will be the first aircraft to attempt powered, controlled flight on another planet.

“This is the first time that Ingenuity has been on its own on the surface of Mars,” said MiMi Aung, Ingenuity project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “But we now have confirmation that we have the right insulation, the right heaters, and enough energy in its battery to survive the cold night, which is a big win for the team. We’re excited to continue to prepare Ingenuity for its first flight test.”"



Ingenuity

Wiki- "The flights have demonstrated the helicopter's ability to fly in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars, which is only 0.6% as dense as the air on Earth. It proved that flight was possible on other planets without the direct human control that the finite speed of light makes impractical (depending on the positions of the two planets, radio signals take between 5 and 20 minutes to travel between the Earth and Mars).[13] As a result of this delay Ingenuity must autonomously perform the maneuvers planned, scripted and transmitted to it by its operators."

Ingenuity Flight Highlights
 
Gary O' said:
Not a good argument

I'd rather tote a gas/diesel can to a service station than have my EV towed to an outlet

As far as EV autos;
The batteries need much improvement
The grid needs some serious thought

I see it as a race to improve EVs before we deplete the oil supply

I'd get one, but I'm thinkin' it'll be awhile
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The point is each vehicle has a certain capacity to carry energy and therefore range that must be planned for. Is an EV the best option for transiting NV, no, but it's not all fun and games w gas and diesel, either. In my NV state atlas I have carefully noted where all the Fuel can be found as we explore the vast emptiness that the state offers.

Improvements are necessary and they will come in due time. And for some an EV or hybrid can be fully functional right now.
 
Li-on batteries are a concern as far as fires. Phone, power tool, my heated gloves, my game cameras, ect... They can malfunction and cause fires. EV batteries are so large that when they start on fire, the fire departments have not found a way to suppress them. It does not matter what country they are from. There are just as many malfunctions here.
Otherwise, I'll stick with my gasser Jeeps. I can fix almost anything on them with a minimum of specialized tools. I doubt that I could fix most things on an EV.
 
I like the idea of a vehicle with low noise and never needing oil changes, or new mufflers (I assume), also, our building already put in EV charging spots so it would be more convenient for me to charge up here at home instead of taking my car to a gas station.

But, I doubt if I'll get one because I really don't like driving and I'm hoping my 2014 Honda Civic will last as long as my future driving does.
 
Hmmm wonder what an all electric 18 wheeler will look like
when it blows up???? Or, an all electric passenger plane I've
seen mentioned mmmmmmm????
 
Like as in "Would I buy an EV now?" As someone that yearly makes some long road trips to remote areas, there is not yet infrastructure to drive into those regions. Although my 2007 Forester has 262k miles on it, it is running ok. So as a frugal senior, I really do not want to be looking at buying any vehicles given recent years inflated prices unless I am forced to.

Additionally, years ago had two vehicles for some time and was highly annoyed at how that increased my auto insurance rates here in California. So the notion of having a ICE for long trips and and EV for my urban area, also would be expensive. My auto insurance for the level of coverage I buy is at minimums from having decades of driving without accidents and no moving violation tickets for over 4 decades.

The reason rates for 2 cars are almost double is because too many dishonest people even if they claim they will only be the only ones driving whatever and live alone, lie to insurers in order to say allow someone else secretly in their household like adult children with DUIs or accidents to drive a vehicle.

In the future if I come into wealth, would buy an EV but there are issues the auto manufacturers apparently still need to address. The seawater flooding issue has been a solvable issue for years so the inept government needs to take out a stick and beat some industry bean counters. A solution ought be simple and inexpensive. A design with a small unremovable tamper proof module that detects being flooded either by seawater or fresh water would be trivial. That video had an excellent set of ways to inspect for flood damage but that alone won't always prevent illegal sales.

For burning EVs, there are already fire smothering blanket technologies being investigated that can be readily web searched. The idea of using water to put out such fires is flawed as long as oxygen is still present. Obviously the battery packaging engineering needs to address fire issues more that might use a smothering chemical approach. Otherwise, carbon smoke deposited between battery terminals might cause conductive shorts though not as bad as seawater. And reducing damage to battery compartments in event of collision also.
 
Even driving over a bump or a large stone can pretty much trigger the existing damage indications and cost the owner several 10s of thousands in repairs. Two recent cases in Canada come to mind, occurring within a short time of each other.

ICBC scraps 2022 electric car after owners faced with $60,000 bill to replace damaged battery

And those were crappy Hyundais.

The additional product development required before viability could be 10 or even 20 years in the making yet.
 
Would I LIKE one? Maybe some day. However, I drive very few miles each day so my current 7 year-old car has 33k miles on it. My gas bills are low and there is a dearth of charging stations in Dallas (the fossil fuel capital).

Also, EVs were rated the least reliable vehicles by Consumer Reports per the following. Tesla, the innovator in EVs, has still not worked out the bugs and the previous gas-only manufacturers are experiencing issues because they are new to the game. Perhaps someday, but not right now.

Electric Vehicles Are Less Reliable Than Conventional Cars - Consumer Reports
 
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I just wish someone who actually owns an EV would have been in the discussion. Then all the 'theories' would have been put to rest. I am as unsure about owning an EV at this point in this discussion as I was at its beginning. Many have an opinion but, no one has actual experience. Any real world owners of EV's on the forum? Please comment. Thank you.
 
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