ClevelandDiver
New member
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2014
- Messages
- 4
Obviously this is not a quick or easy fix. I am thinking about the long game here, a true ICE alternative. What if the car were designed to have a space in the undercarriage cable of holding a LARGE travel battery? You pull into a Tesla style quick change station and it gets installed automatically in 90 seconds. Pay a daily rental rate that includes unlimited quick changes at other stations. Reach your destination and drop the battery at the nearest quick change station. When you are ready to head home, pick up another travel battery and repeat the process.
I know there are numerous technical challenges involved; weight distribution, suspension settings, infrastructure, pricing, insurance…….. the list goes on and on. It would require a massive re-engineering of the chassis, suspension, brakes, etc. However, if you could rent extra capacity instead of having to buy it, you would crush the primary objection to EVs; range. Additionally, a quick change would eliminate the charging time objection.
This is really more of an EV vs. ICE long term strategy, not a practical solution to the Leaf’s range problem. But just think about it for a minute. If ALL EVs had space for a universal travel battery, and you could easily access quick change stations, it would make for the ultimate in versatility. Low cost to charge daily commuter with a competitively priced range extender. You could even offer multiple sizes to fit the drivers’ needs. I would gladly pay $25/day for an additional 100 miles of range or $50/day for a 200 extra miles (both with unlimited quick changes of course).
I am sure the haters are going to crush my dreams with all the reasons this is a horrible idea….. but ask yourself first, is it technically possible and what objections to EVs would remain in my fantasy world?
I know there are numerous technical challenges involved; weight distribution, suspension settings, infrastructure, pricing, insurance…….. the list goes on and on. It would require a massive re-engineering of the chassis, suspension, brakes, etc. However, if you could rent extra capacity instead of having to buy it, you would crush the primary objection to EVs; range. Additionally, a quick change would eliminate the charging time objection.
This is really more of an EV vs. ICE long term strategy, not a practical solution to the Leaf’s range problem. But just think about it for a minute. If ALL EVs had space for a universal travel battery, and you could easily access quick change stations, it would make for the ultimate in versatility. Low cost to charge daily commuter with a competitively priced range extender. You could even offer multiple sizes to fit the drivers’ needs. I would gladly pay $25/day for an additional 100 miles of range or $50/day for a 200 extra miles (both with unlimited quick changes of course).
I am sure the haters are going to crush my dreams with all the reasons this is a horrible idea….. but ask yourself first, is it technically possible and what objections to EVs would remain in my fantasy world?