• FluffyPotato
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    4 months ago

    The problem is that replacing the battery in an EV costs as much as a new car which is something you need to do if it’s 10 years old.

    Even if 1/3 of new cars sold is an EV that will take decades for any meaningful adoption since new cars are incredibly uncommon and affordable replacemt batteries don’t yet exist.

    I don’t mind car makers making EVs but it seems like a pretty reasonable choice from Toyota not to enter that market yet.

    • Chriswild@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      You don’t have to replace the battery every 10 years. LiFePo cells can do more than 3000 cycles before going below 85% rated capacity. CATL has been making these cheaply for years.

      Toyota has been actively sabotaging EV transitions for decades. Of course they’re against the thing they don’t want.

      • FluffyPotato
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        4 months ago

        I can currently find exactly zero used cars with a LiFePo battery here. I looked around more and it doesn’t seem to be even used by any car brands that exist here so I have no way to check how expensive a replacement would be. I’m assuming there’s a reason it’s not used but I’m not going to dig into battery research over a lemmy post.

        If those batteries solve all the issues leading to used EVs being feasible then that would be great in about a decade or two if they adobt that right now.

    • thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      The only reason they are so expensive currently is because the demand is still quite new and the price you are quoting is ferrying the manufacturer who is incentivised to price it in such a way as to pay you towards buying a new car.

      Go to an ICE manufacturer and ask for a new drivetrain and they will likely quote you parts and labour price that exceeds the value of the car.

      Aftermarket support will continue to improve as the market continues to grow and mature. Give it another decade or so, and battery swaps/refurbishments will become as commonplace as ICE engine gasket replacements, while also being significantly cheaper.

      Even as it stands now, ~10yo Teslas seem to have battery health at >80% (maybe due to over-provisioning?) and are sufficient to meet most commuter’s daily needs.