Interesting article on new EV battery tech

[ME2SC]

24M out of MIT is planning to move ahead with release of a new lithium-metal product in the next couple of years. Apparently, making it more stable and less prone to degradation. Reading the article linked below, I'm hoping that in a few years, battery-pack replacement in an i3 with similar long-range tech would make our cars viable for the next ... couple of decades. Can you imagine an i3 BEV with multi-state trip length between charges? I sure can! As it stands I am formulating a possible plan to take my 75-mile range BEV to Maine next month (1,200 miles each way) ... even if i don't--and take our KIA Soul--I am still going to split the trip into two days with an overnight in Baltimore. It would be amazing to pull that 550 mile leg in one shot!

Looking forward; what are the challenges in battery-pack replacement in the future for our vehicles (beyond the obvious expense of the parts and labor)? Couldn't it be as simple as fitting into the correct factory form/footprint/fastener pattern?

Anywho, here's the link:

A single charge, 1000-mile battery? 24M says: Yes.

 

[mojo]

As said many times before - the biggest obstacle to latest spec battery packs for aging EVs is simple: the falling value of an aging car.

Almost nobody is going to be willing to pay out (say) $8k for a new battery on an old EV that is worth $2k - because it won't then become a $10k car.

A few people here have said "I would" but I personally doubt that there is anywhere near enough volume in it to be worth the development cost.

So... although I want to keep my car going for 10 years or more, my hope is simply that we will be able to get factory-spec rebuilt battery packs at a reasonable price. Personally, I don't have any need for a very expensive 1000-mile battery.

 

[Dutchi3]

While I tend to think that an i3 could survive 50+ years with proper maintenance, I worry about availability of spare parts in the future for reasonable prices. Contrary to purely "mechanical" oldtimers, for which many third party suppliers exist to get maintenance parts, the electronics cannot be imitated by third party suppliers -so even if an i3 becomes an old timer, to maintain its proprietry software and hardware will be impossible without support from BMW. EV's are consumables like mobile phones, when support stops you will no longer be able to use it when it fails.