@FireMadeFlesh I take it that those batteries were abused in some manner, quite likely overheating. There is a reason that EV battery packs have their own cooling systems; something most consumer electronics packs lack. Personally, I have yet to have a pack decline that fast. My netbook lost ~15% in just over a year, but that thing was cycled fairly often as it was only about a three-hour pack. (I went for the lighter one that didn’t stick out the back or bottom so as to keep the thing square and avoid ripping the battery out by the bulge during transit.) My year-old laptop has been cycled far less often and is still >90%. There are Rav4 EVs that are still on the original pack after all these years and miles.
I don’t trust the mass media when it comes to science, especially not when they fly in the face of what I know from my years as an electrician, my experience as a hobbyist, or anything else I know I know. I may use them as a starting point for further study, but I prefer learning the science and engineering over taking someone else’s word for things.
Hydrogen needs a storage tank made from Neutronium to prevent seepage; there really is no way around the simple fact that a hydrogen tank made of normal materials is like a soup bowl made out of gauze. More importantly is the issue of how to get massive quantities of hydrogen efficiently?
Many people who are new to EVs tend to drive them like a gas-burner, and that is not wise; it leads to broken stuff, most often the battery. Ask @koanhead about that as he has more EV experience than I do.
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@worriedguy Not entirely true. Warm climates take their toll on batteries in another way, not counting the effects of running A/C. There is a reason that the Nissan Leaf lists it’s range under various conditions .
But you, like many others, seem to overlook one simple fact; MOST PEOPLE DON’T DRIVE THAT MUCH!!!! I had to shout that since it seems that that point is so overlooked that the only chance I have at getting it across is to emphasize it in ever way I can, and I wish I could put it in flashing neon letters in a 72-point font. Does a family of three need a seven-seat SUV? Probably not. Do we need a car capable of doing 0–60 in under five seconds? As cool as that is, I don’t think the average person needs that, and in fact, doing so on most streets will get you a ticket. Do you need a top speed of more than 100 MPH? Not in a country where most places hand out tickets for 80 or less. Let us ignore that the Tesla Model S seats five adults and two kids, can do 0–60 in 5.6 seconds, and tops out at 120MPH :D
So, how much range does the average person need? Most figures I’ve seen place the average pretty damn low. Let’s see… 33 miles per vehicle per day, 29 miles per day, ~45 miles/day (overall average)… well, you get the idea. So with numbers like that, the only reason a 60-mile range is unacceptable is that people are too lazy to recharge/refuel. Either that or they are so used to burning five gallons a day in their low-MPG rigs that when they hear that a battery only packs the same energy as two gallons of gas, they get scared. Let us ignore the Tesla’s range that is about what I get on a ten gallon tank of gas in my gas-burning Corolla.
There are times when just looking at some numbers works, but there are other times when you have to look at more numbers to actually see the truth. Electric vehicles fall into the latter category.
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