Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

Martyn1981

This jumped out at me, as it's not just about buying BEV buses, but actually changing a buying decision following the trialing of BEV buses. That sounds like they can prove themselves when compared, so must be a good thing:

Panama Cancels Order For Diesel Buses, Will Purchase 195 Electric Buses Instead

The MiBus representative clarified that his company originally thought of “presenting a proposal for the purchase of 35 medium or 10 meter electric buses, plus 160 diesel buses to partially replace the existing fleet,” but came to believe “it would be better to expand the framework and acquire 195 electric buses .” Campaña affirms “the international price of each unit is around $ 180 thousand.” With this initiative, Panama is on course to comply with the National Electric Mobility Strategy that promotes the use of low-emission transport. Sadly, the United States does not have as robust a mobility strategy as Panama’s. 

And this article, whilst a tad Tesla heavy, looks at the new business model that BEV's (v's ICEV's) brings to the table, and the way this will disrupt the automotive industry (especially servicing / maintenance) going forward. Whether Tesla 'wins' or not, the industry will never be the same again now.

Tesla Introduced A Business Model The World Has Not Seen Before

Tesla is the only automaker worldwide that continuously improves the vehicles it has sold, and for free. Compare this to all other companies that sell you, again and again, a new model with slight changes for a premium price. With a well-thought-through set of hardware, a Tesla vehicle can continue to improve with over-the-air software updates almost endlessly. Minor hardware adjustments are silently included when ready but not even advertised. The newest Autopilot computer is also a good example of adjustments in older vehicles that are free of charge to keep your car up to date. 

The approach from incumbent automakers to sell models with enhanced hardware features makes sense since they earn money with every vehicle sold, and even more important, with spare parts and services in the aftermarket. Their global fleet of used vehicles is the cow they milk until it dies in an accident or by old age decades later. Without the after-sales business, most automakers would be structurally unprofitable, because the revenue stream from the fleets on the roads is tremendously large and much more important for their bottom lines than new vehicle sales.

Without the after-sales revenue, the automotive industry is structurally unprofitable. An incredibly large fleet of 1.33 billion vehicles in the world need to be repaired and serviced every day. A BEV does not need all of that after-sales service, and typically has a long life. Already, today, Tesla can deliver a battery lasting a million miles. Soon, a million miles will be a standard for a Tesla and expected from customers. It is a long-living vehicle and will hold two times the life of a gas/diesel car for a fraction of the cost, or even longer.

Martyn1981

Just a quick shout out to the Tesla Model 3 team that took first place in the exhibition class at Pikes peak this weekend. The driver, Blake Fuller had set the previous record for a production car a few years back in a Tesla S. This year he suggested trying to beat it in a TM3 performance. The brilliant father & son duo at Now You Know (we also do the weekly Tesla Time News show) put out a call for help from Tesla owners, and a car was donated, and money paid for 150 names on the car. So they raced on a shoestring, and financed it through owners, not corporations.

Tesla Model 3 Wins 1st & 2nd Place in Exhibition Class at Pikes Peak 2020

Martyn1981

US based article, but more replacement battery opportunities for the Nissan Leaf can't be a bad thing.

Dozens Of Shops Are Now Replacing Nissan LEAF Batteries

Now, EVs are following a similar path. Nissan LEAF batteries are still extremely expensive if you buy them from a dealer, but, just like any other vehicle, the dealer isn’t the place to go unless your battery is still under warranty. A growing number of shops and suppliers are getting into the business, with used but good first-generation LEAF batteries now available for as little as $1000. People with an older LEAF can even get newer 62 kWh packs to get over 200 miles of range in the oldest LEAFs.

JKenH

Martyn1981 said:

US based article, but more replacement battery opportunities for the Nissan Leaf can't be a bad thing.

Dozens Of Shops Are Now Replacing Nissan LEAF Batteries

Now, EVs are following a similar path. Nissan LEAF batteries are still extremely expensive if you buy them from a dealer, but, just like any other vehicle, the dealer isn’t the place to go unless your battery is still under warranty. A growing number of shops and suppliers are getting into the business, with used but good first-generation LEAF batteries now available for as little as $1000. People with an older LEAF can even get newer 62 kWh packs to get over 200 miles of range in the oldest LEAFs.

Good to see the Glenrothes firm doing this. I have asked the authors to add Indra Technologies to the directory.

EVandPV

JKenH said:

Good to see the Glenrothes firm doing this.

They're just along the road from me. Had no idea. 

ABrass

Any UK people know how much a replacement would be over here? I'm quite tempted by a second hand leaf but the dealer prices quoted for new batteries have been obscene.

EVandPV

ABrass said:

Any UK people know how much a replacement would be over here? I'm quite tempted by a second hand leaf but the dealer prices quoted for new batteries have been obscene.

I take it this is who JkenH was referring to .....

https://www.electrongarage.co.uk/battery-upgrade/

Still fairly steep prices.

michaels

ABrass said:

Any UK people know how much a replacement would be over here? I'm quite tempted by a second hand leaf but the dealer prices quoted for new batteries have been obscene.

Generally it doesn't make economic sense to upgrade or replace a battery, just buy one with the range you need in the first place.  IN general (in UK) degradation is of order 2-3% a year so it is unlikely a battery that does the mileage you need when you buy it won't continue to do enough miles.  There still seems to be a myth that it is like a mobile phone battery that fails to the point of being useless after 2-3 years.

Example: I have a 24kwh with 50k miles.  I could spend 8k at electron garage upgrading the battery to 40kwh but I would still have a car worth at most 10k, or I could sell my car for 7k and spend 10k more upgrading to a 2018 40kwh with 20k miles worth 17k.

Martyn1981

Extracts from this week's Carbon Commentary Newsletter:

9, European EV sales. July saw a rapid rebound in car sales in Europe as showrooms opened. EVs had sharply gained share in previous months and - perhaps surprisingly – the growth continued in July. Almost 10% of units sold were plug-in cars, more than doubling the figures of a year ago. New models and more aggressive pricing helped but Tesla sales were down as production difficulties interrrupted the flow of cars to Europe. (This link provides some of the data but also continues the auto industry’s dishonest habit of including ‘mild’ hybrids as EVs, even though they are without electric motors).

EVandPV

michaels said:

IN general (in UK) degradation is of order 2-3% a year so it is unlikely a battery that does the mileage you need when you buy it won't continue to do enough miles.  There still seems to be a myth that it is like a mobile phone battery that fails to the point of being useless after 2-3 years.

Sounds about right.
Mine just went to 98% after 18 months and 7000 miles.