Battery Range Solution

[IdahoJOAT]

As I looked at converting a Traveler to EV several months ago, the thought hit me: the biggest concern with EVs is the range right? Range range range. Well, it got me thinking about how to alleviate this, which we've all done I'm sure, but easily replaceable batteries is the obvious one.

When we all road trip, and stop for fuel, what do we do? I send my wife and kids in, I fuel up, repark, go inside, and then once we come out, it's been 20-30 minutes since we first pulled up. If a company *cough*Scout Motors*cough* could pioneer the universal, AA kind of power cell that can be removed and installed in minutes(quick disconnects for HVAC and power lines), they would blow the lid off the EV and transportation world.

Now my Scout can pull up, get a new battery in for another 200 miles, and I'm on the road again, while my "old" battery is getting charged and then put in another Ford, Chevy, Dodge, etc.

 

[bobicross]

I am not going all sci-fi here, but has anyone considered emergency solar charging? I know the limitations. But, 10% after 4 hours is better than 0% and no hope on the trail.

 

[Jim Nichols]

Speaking of range, the Ford Lightning has been getting a lot of flak for it's short towing and cold weather range being less than half it's advertised range.

 

[Rustic_father]

Speaking of range, the Ford Lightning has been getting a lot of flak for it's short towing and cold weather range being less than half it's advertised range.

The cold weather range problem can be partially attributed to it not having a heat pump

PLEASE GIVE THE SCOUT A HEAT PUMP!!!!

 

[Chaparral]

I brought this up on another thread (can't recall which one). There are already Chinese companies doing this with plans to rollout "battery stations" in the European market.
There is also an Israeli company electrifying the road so you don't even need to stop...

I just did a 3000+ mile road trip that took me from southern CA, through Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Iowa to Grand Teton and Yellowstone Wyoming and then all the way up to Glacier National Park Montana, and back. We travelled through some remote areas. We were in a gas/hybrid car and a couple of times had gas station anxiety. I don’t think an electrified road is realistic solution because of the cost involved. In parts of Iowa they are still don’t have fences to stop the cows walking on the road. For long stretches of our drive we had no cellular internet service at all. In Yellowstone National Park, a storm knocked out power and we had no electricity at all at the hotel with the exception of the diesel generator that kept the restaurant going. The basic infrastructure is just not there in large swathes of the US. I don’t think I could have done this trip on electric without it taking 4-5 days longer and without meticulous planning.

Long range and 800V fast charging will be essential when I go electric but I also need to see the charging infrastructure built out much more. Since Scout are building an adventure vehicle maybe they can help fill in the charging infrastructure gaps. The charging networks seem to be designed to help people charge on routes between major cities. What seems to be missing is charging at and between more adventurous destinations. I’d like to see Scout do a deal with the National Parks and National Forest to provide off-road vehicles for park rangers and robust charging infrastructure in these remote locations.

 

[Harris005]

I just did a 3000+ mile road trip that took me from southern CA, through Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Iowa to Grand Teton and Yellowstone Wyoming and then all the way up to Glacier National Park Montana, and back. We travelled through some remote areas. We were in a gas/hybrid car and a couple of times had gas station anxiety. I don’t think an electrified road is realistic solution because of the cost involved. In parts of Iowa they are still don’t have fences to stop the cows walking on the road. For long stretches of our drive we had no cellular internet service at all. In Yellowstone National Park, a storm knocked out power and we had no electricity at all at the hotel with the exception of the diesel generator that kept the restaurant going. The basic infrastructure is just not there in large swathes of the US. I don’t think I could have done this trip on electric without it taking 4-5 days longer and without meticulous planning.

Long range and 800V fast charging will be essential when I go electric but I also need to see the charging infrastructure built out much more. Since Scout are building an adventure vehicle maybe they can help fill in the charging infrastructure gaps. The charging networks seem to be designed to help people charge on routes between major cities. What seems to be missing is charging at and between more adventurous destinations. I’d like to see Scout do a deal with the National Parks and National Forest to provide off-road vehicles for park rangers and robust charging infrastructure in these remote locations.

@Rustic_father had a good post a while back on this topic (post link below). In this post is a link to an EV road trip software. Maybe punch in that same trip you just took and see where the charging stations are (and are not). Post the results here for all of our curiosities. How does ICE vs EV stack up? Sidenote: by 2026 the grid will be that much better, so we should all keep that in mind too.

Post in thread 'Dealerships Are Dying' https://scoutmotors.community.forum/threads/dealerships-are-dying.110/post-1751

 

[J Alynn]

Here’s an updated article on Toyota’s battery advancements for those who are interested in news on solid state batteries

Toyota's Solid-state Batteries Will Offer A Range Of 745 Miles And Charge In Under 10 Minutes!

It seemed like Toyta's entire focus is on hydrogen-tech, but the company's advancements in solid-state batteries has taken everyone by surprise.

www.topspeed.com

 

[Jim Nichols]

Looks like VW is already into solid state batteries: Quote

Volkswagen is another automaker leading the way in solid-state battery technology. They recently entered a partnership with QuantumScape, a solid-state battery technology company, to the tune of $300 million, to develop electric vehicles powered by solid-state batteries by 2024. QuantumScape is estimating their solid-state batteries will have an energy density of 50-percent more than their lithium-ion counterparts with recharge times of 15 minutes. Volkswagen has a larger intention of transitioning to electric vehicles. This spurred the automaker's investment in QuantumScape which came in two batches, first in 2018 to the tune of $100 million and the second at $200 million in 2020 which took its stake in QuantumScape to 20-percent. As the world's biggest auto manufacturer, Volkswagen's commitment to electric vehicles is will bring us closer to a future of reliable, efficient, and powerful electric vehicles.

 

[Jamie@ScoutMotors]

Solid State batteries are the current direction everyone is headed in at this point. However, many hurdles to mass production need to be overcome before it is viable.

More money is being spent on battery technology research right now than ever in history. Everything we use these days has batteries. If someone can make a significant breakthrough, the financial benefits are significant.

 

[LastDayScout]

Solid State batteries are the current direction everyone is headed in at this point. However, many hurdles to mass production need to be overcome before it is viable.

More money is being spent on battery technology research right now than ever in history. Everything we use these days has batteries. If someone can make a significant breakthrough, the financial benefits are significant.

So, what do you think the chances are that a 2026 Scout includes solid state batteries?

 

[Jamie@ScoutMotors]

So, what do you think the chances are that a 2026 Scout includes solid state batteries?

Very, very slim. Let's see how things progress in the industry, but mass production of solid state batteries is a few years away at this stage.

 

[lefty]

Adding back to this thread.... I saw this article on battery swapping. While obviously smaller in scale it's real

https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/04/africa/spiro-battery-swap-africa-electric-bikes-spc-intl/index.html

 

[Harris005]

Adding back to this thread.... I saw this article on battery swapping. While obviously smaller in scale it's real

https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/04/africa/spiro-battery-swap-africa-electric-bikes-spc-intl/index.html

Still like this idea for trailers/campers. Allowing more cross country ventures while towing.