New tech battery for our 2017 bolts in the future?

[MikeDabrowski2017]

I just sold my 2000 Honda insight after 17 years of ownership
Brake lines, gas lines, steel suspension components, rusted bolts, and mice attacks
But like electric cars the batteries are the weak link.

Honda never offered a lithium pack to replace the very custom Nimh stock pack.
So the old insights are either running with no hybrid battery pack, or an after market rebuilt pack, or with a barely working battery.

I can only hope that our Bolts will be in much better condition mechanically in 17 years since it is much simpler.
Battery technology will not be standing still.
Price / kWh is predicted to drop,
Solid state batteries, sodium ion , and the many new and better types of battery that will be developed during the next years could boost the range and speed of charging of the car to give it a new and better second life.
In theory allow it to be better than it is now.

All of which will depend on GM to use the same form factor and interface as the present pack in the future but fitted with better batteries.
I like to keep my vehicles as long as possible so it is going to be interesting to see if GM will use the modular
Battery to full advantage and in 8 years be able to offer a replacement battery for the bolt with much more capacity in the same package.
Maybe we should not be too concerned with trying to maximize the life of this battery as the replacement could have 10 times the range and give the car a second life with 500 mile 100kwh pack that tucks right into the presennt packs box???

 

[DucRider]

All of which will depend on GM to use the same form factor and interface as the present pack in the future but fitted with better batteries.

I like to keep my vehicles as long as possible so it is going to be interesting to see if GM will use the modular Battery to full advantage and in 8 years be able to offer a replacement battery for the bolt with much more capacity in the same package.

Both of these are extremely unlikely for a variety of reasons.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I think the best we could hope for is that the Bolt becomes a big seller. Big enough for an aftermarket company to offer a future upgrade in 8-10 years. I cannot see GM ever doing that. There is zero precedence for an OEM to do so.

My plan is to keep the Bolt for 10 years. At that point my wife with have a family-sized BEV, and I'll be looking to downsize anyway. If the Bolt is only worth $1000 because it has a sub-100 mile range, then so be it. Someone can still use it.

I just don't think the BEV market is mature enough to expect to own the car for 17 years, upgrade the battery, and then own it for another 17 years. Maybe in a few decades technology will get there, but not yet.

 

[EldRick]

Do car manufacturers offer a new engine swap because the newer engines are better?
Of course not - there's no money in doing so, and they would much rather sell new cars. Oh yeah, and there's all those other parts that wear out after a few years...

 

[MikeDabrowski2017]

If we want to save the future by reducing energy consumption we will need to build cars that live for a long time
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2010/sep/23/carbon-footprint-new-car
An EV is so simple in comparison to an ICE that with little added cost in stainless hardware and corrosion
Control it could be made to last for 30 or more years
Once the arctic melting and the short term climate changes start to get serious, business as usual will not be an option.
Yes the automakers will not like it, but sustainable transportation can't involve changing cars every 3 years
Junking all that carbon that was dumped into making it then starting over.
The craziness we have learned to accept won't give our planet the carbon break it needs for the kids of today to have any hope of the same lifestyle we have enjoyed.
All the automakers Seem to have suddenly realized that there will be no future for any of us if we continue down the business as usual path that we all love so much.

Sorry for the rant
We need to start thinking of the big picture and be more concerned with what we pass on to the next or possibly it could be one of the last generations.

 

[MikeDabrowski2017]

https://youtu.be/fSkTpKa5gbo
Future of batteries

 

[michael]

Do car manufacturers offer a new engine swap because the newer engines are better?
Of course not - there's no money in doing so, and they would much rather sell new cars. Oh yeah, and there's all those other parts that wear out after a few years...

In some cases they do offer "crate engines" which are usually high performance replacements. But using one is not generally economical...it's something people do because they WANT to do it and don't mind spending the money.

Similarly, an automaker might offer an upgrade battery, but it's likely that it would be cheaper to simply buy a more modern car with the better battery already installed. Those who have very strong environmental convictions might opt to upgrade the car because doing so is environmentally sounder even though it is more expensive.

 

[EldRick]

One can buy a replacement battery from GM right now. IIRC, the price is around $12,000.
After a few years of depreciation, and even if the price of batteries were to drop by half (not going to happen), a replacement battery would cost more than the car is worth.

 

[MikeDabrowski2017]

Guess we will have to see how it all unfolds.

 

[IMAdolt]

About the only economic option I see is a DIY'er swapping out old cells or a whole pack for slightly used ones from some newer car, or lightly used car. Much like swapping an engine out from a Junker into a 25 year old car to get a couple more years out of it, not for everyone but it gets done. I've done a few on a budget.

 

[DanDietrich]

If the Leaf is any comparison, the packs will not be reverse compatible. Automakers really are just about profit, not about sustainability. They don't make electric cars to be green, they do it for financial reasons.

 

[oilerlord]

Automakers really are just about profit, not about sustainability. They don't make electric cars to be green, they do it for financial reasons.

You're just catching on to this now?

With that said, while the battery pack in a 2018 Leaf won't fit your 2014 model - you still can replace the battery in your old Leaf for ~$6,000 if you want to. Pretty sure they make a profit on those too.

https://cleantechnica.com/2017/10/04/nissan-leaf-replacement-battery-will-cost-5499/