I love my BMW i4. Highest ranked electric car by Consumer Reports. And it’s lightning fast and the distance is phenomenal. Prior to this car I’ve owned more combustible BMW’s than I can remember and loved them all. This electric car, however, beats them all!
OT: Electric vehicles
- Thread starter BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap
- Start date
My 12 year old got one for Christmas. He’s gone 72 miles in just about two days. I took it for a spin on Christmas and started researching one for myself
What is amazing is how many pre teens I see on these now.
And not sure how an adult can call it exercise. Myself, if I got one, I would call it for what it is- a way to enjoy what I used to on a real bike but my knees and back no longer allow me to.
That poster was riding a non-electric, fwiw.
I'm with you personally, but you can definitely call an ebike exercise if you're using it to push yourself in ways you wouldn't with a regular bike. Like if you didn't bike at all or use it to replace car trips.
Just so you know, I've ridden a road bike off and on for more than 40 years. I've always used it as exercise. I never raced at all. I'm 66, and I'm in better condition now than I was in my mid-forties.
As fsng was saying, I think the kids you're talking about riding bikes and not pedaling are riding ebikes and they're not considered road bikes. A road bike is a pedal bike that doesn't have touring geometry and can also be called a racing bike although purists would dispute that. I've had an '84 Bianchi Alloro road bike since it was new and still ride it at 78. It's great exercise and I've never raced it either.
Didn't mean to hijack the EV thread.
could be- I did not read the entire thread and made the assumption that it was part of the EV discussion. My bad
This is what I mean by my previous post. Someone always post stuff like “Tesla finally cracks FSD” when there is a new release. I’m sure it’s a big upgrade (otherwise they wouldn’t release it). But, is it FSD? Most likely not.
Agree. For EVs, the issue is range. Not sure it will ever be solved.
the way technology is improving , I would guess range problems will be solved .
Solid state batteries will improve range and as they are improved , expect range top improve with it.
Charging stations will become more available and might just start showing up in gas stations, if the EV market makes that a worthwhile addition.
Also home charging units prices will go down as new technology makes building them for home use less expensive and instillation mush easier so price of installing unit won't hurt too much..
The main question will be the cost of charging units, with the way energy prices are rising .
But maybe used with a solar power system at home might cut costs down
EV development basically depends on the type of investment put into improving EV technology if improved range will be obtained so buying an EV would be considered a good idea,
Right now ,I would say buying an EV might be nice for a second car, but for now >gas rules the road.
Neat sound bite, but about as hideously and irresponsibly incorrect as anything ever typed on the internet, purposely or accidentally.
So, so false. Since late 90's, prices have dropped, range has increased, charging is faster, longevity has increased and they're lighter in weight. Like comparing earliest cell phones to what we have today.
Yeah, not much happened in 2025.
Solid-state batteries:
- Mercedes-Benz conducted road tests of prototype solid-state packs, targeting over 620 miles (1,000 km) of range.
- Factorial Energy's lithium-metal solid-state cells powered a modified Mercedes EQS to over 745 miles (1,200 km) on a single charge in testing, with the company going public and aiming for commercial availability by 2027.
- Other players like Toyota, BMW, and QuantumScape advanced prototypes, with some demonstrating high energy densities (up to 500+ Wh/kg in labs) and ultra-fast charging (e.g., 10-80% in under 15 minutes).
- CATL launched its Naxtra brand, achieving the world's first sodium-ion battery to pass China's new EV safety certification (GB 38031-2025).
- It offers 175 Wh/kg energy density (comparable to LFP), over 500 km range in passenger EVs, excellent cold-weather performance (-40°C), and plans for large-scale deployment in 2026 across passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and storage.
- Companies like HiNa and BYD also advanced production, positioning sodium-ion for budget EVs and reducing lithium dependency.
- Energy densities rose in production packs, with some exceeding 300 Wh/kg.
- LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) expanded in Western markets (e.g., GM and Ford planning U.S. adoption), offering longer life and lower costs.
- Breakthroughs included lithium-metal anodes (e.g., KAIST/LG Energy Solution prototype for ~500 miles range and 12-minute charging) and lithium-manganese-rich (LMR) chemistries for better range at LFP-like prices.
- Pack prices fell toward $115/kWh (with projections under $80/kWh by 2030), driven by manufacturing efficiencies and material innovations.
- Faster charging became more practical, with some packs supporting 80% charge in 10-20 minutes via advanced thermal management and high-power designs.
- Sustainability efforts included better recycling and reduced cobalt/nickel use.
2026 off to a slow start, too:Yeah, not much happened in 2025.
Solid-state batteries:
Sodium-ion technology advanced as a cheaper, more abundant alternative to lithium-ion:
- Mercedes-Benz conducted road tests of prototype solid-state packs, targeting over 620 miles (1,000 km) of range.
- Factorial Energy's lithium-metal solid-state cells powered a modified Mercedes EQS to over 745 miles (1,200 km) on a single charge in testing, with the company going public and aiming for commercial availability by 2027.
- Other players like Toyota, BMW, and QuantumScape advanced prototypes, with some demonstrating high energy densities (up to 500+ Wh/kg in labs) and ultra-fast charging (e.g., 10-80% in under 15 minutes).
Conventional lithium-ion batteries continued evolving:
- CATL launched its Naxtra brand, achieving the world's first sodium-ion battery to pass China's new EV safety certification (GB 38031-2025).
- It offers 175 Wh/kg energy density (comparable to LFP), over 500 km range in passenger EVs, excellent cold-weather performance (-40°C), and plans for large-scale deployment in 2026 across passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and storage.
- Companies like HiNa and BYD also advanced production, positioning sodium-ion for budget EVs and reducing lithium dependency.
Also:
- Energy densities rose in production packs, with some exceeding 300 Wh/kg.
- LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) expanded in Western markets (e.g., GM and Ford planning U.S. adoption), offering longer life and lower costs.
- Breakthroughs included lithium-metal anodes (e.g., KAIST/LG Energy Solution prototype for ~500 miles range and 12-minute charging) and lithium-manganese-rich (LMR) chemistries for better range at LFP-like prices.
- Pack prices fell toward $115/kWh (with projections under $80/kWh by 2030), driven by manufacturing efficiencies and material innovations.
- Faster charging became more practical, with some packs supporting 80% charge in 10-20 minutes via advanced thermal management and high-power designs.
- Sustainability efforts included better recycling and reduced cobalt/nickel use.
World's 1st Production Solid-State Battery! - CleanTechnica
Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe. A small company in Finland, Donutlabs, has announced the world’s first production solid-state battery. The batteries are rated at 400 Wh/kg. Verge Motorcycles has incorporated Donutlabs’ true solid-state battery (SSB)...
cleantechnica.com
50% off of auto insurance when Tesla FSD is driving. Their review of the data found FSD was twice as safe as the average driver.
LEMONADE insurance company? This sounds like making LEMONADE (insurance) out of LEMONS (Teslas!). It's just a joke. Personally, not a fan of Teslas, mainly for what is perceived by me as cheap interior materials and styling of exteriors. Also had a friend who had nothing but problems with his. Finally, it seems that 90% of Tesla drivers in NJ drive recklessly.
But that is pretty cool, so long as LEMONADE is a reputable insurance company.
I had to look, they’re a small start up insurance company with around 1.5M members.
The cheap interior of Teslas is a valid point, I’ve had mine five years and that’s been the only issue. It will become my daughter’s issue when I hand it down to her next year
Maybe that will improve as the cost of batteries decrease. I was and remain impressed with the quality of my F150 Lightning Lariat. Very nice finish. I've only put 20,000 miles on it in a little over 3 years, and it still is nearly new condition inside and out. I never used their Blue Cruise once while I had the free 3 year trial. And the subscription is ridiculously expensive. Not sure how Blue Cruise compares to Tesla's FSD- has Blue Cruise been evaluated, or not enough of a sample size?
Blue Cruise only works in limited geo fenced areas covering 130k pre mapped miles. For comparison Tesla says it can work on all 4 million miles in the US. As a result Blue Cruise has 150M miles logged versus Tesla’s 7.5 billion. Elon’s goal is 10 billion miles to achieve full reliability
Got into my Lighting at 5:30am yesterday day and the temp reading was zero. Battery was almost hitting the low temp warning gauge. My range at 50% was 75 miles. That implies a 37.5% reduction in range.
Did you actually track your kW/M?
I normally average 1.8-2 on my commute up the Parkway in warmer weather. Earlier this week, it was more like 1.5-1.7.
BTW- this is pretty wild. A mechanic who does swap outs of bad battery modules or upgrades SR to ER packs. Looks pretty easy. All for only $750 labor.
Upgrading F-150 Lightning Battery Pack [VIDEO]
www.f150lightningforum.com
EV technology isn't isn't improving as fast as it should ,Auto Companies see big losses in putting the money needed to make driving an EV affordable and dependable while not knowing if the government is going to help or hurt them in funding the technology research needed to make buying an EV over conventional vehicles worthwhile.
from a google search
Around 1900, at the peak of their initial popularity, electric vehicles (EVs) comprised approximately 28% to 38% of all cars on U.S. roads. At this time, they rivaled steam-powered cars and significantly outnumbered gasoline cars, which made up only 22% of the market in 1900
- Early Dominance (1900): According to the U.S. Department of Energy, about one-third of all vehicles on the road in 1900 were electric.
- Market Share: Statistics from 1900 indicate that of 4,192 cars produced in the U.S., 28% were electric. Some sources list 38% of all U.S. automobiles as electric in 1900.
- Popularity Factors: Early electric cars were favored because they were quiet, easy to operate, and did not require the manual hand-cranking needed for gasoline cars.
- Decline: The dominance of electric vehicles faded after 1903 due to the invention of the electric starter, cheaper gasoline, and the mass production of the Ford Model T.
Agree, I was surprised to see 72 miles on the guessometer at 50% in my ER driving around town today. Thats a massive difference all because of cold weather.
Edit to add: there are some other companies putting out much more respectable mi/kwh numbers. I get it, its a massive truck but still. All that to say it works for me but certainly would surprise a lot of people.
I forget, you have standard range, not ER battery? You did see that video that one can swap out for ER, but not sure it is worth the $$$.
New and improved battery technology is out and more coming. The question is whether those batteries could be swapped out and used in early generation EVs. I'm good with ER.
You probably know you can charge to 100% once in a while to get the full range. This can be done at home, not sure if on a public charger.
Battery swap is not economical. Plan to trade my Lighting in for a R1S in 3 yrs. I didn’t think I needed to charge it to 100% for a 140 mile trip. But the extreme cold and mountain roads just killed the range. The guess work on range really sucks. The good news was that finding a supercharger and charging was easy. It did add 25 min to my 2.5 hr trip.