Elecgric Vehicles - F250 Lightning - Event Date: 16 Mar 2022

Olddawgsrule I never said everything in your post was wrong. The point on diodes in solar modules is that the type that help somewhat with shading are bypass diodes and they come already installed the higher voltage modules used in grid tied solar systems because they are there for safety reasons. So you don't have to add them. They are not inline series blocking diodes they are in parallel with the cells. Blocking diodes won't help with shading.

StephenH, no one to my knowledge has yet come to market with a competitively priced roof integated solar product. Many have tried, myself included. The Tesla system has the reputation of being very high cost for one. One major reason is that the individual roof integrated solar modules are pretty small so their manufacturing costs are naturally higher on a per watt basis. The target customers so far for these types of products have been wealthy people who want to make an architectural statement, not ordinary folks on a budget.

That being said if you are seriously considering reroofing and installing solar at the same time you could get quotes from installers recommended by the manufacturers listed in that article. I think they have a pretty comprehensive list there. Just be prepared for some sticker shock.

   That sounds like a step forward and if they could use standard size batteries that are interchangeable with different vehicles. One could go to a Walmart auto center and change batteries while they are shopping. Like exchanging a empty propane tank for a full one.

That is not a new idea. I read about such an idea years ago. The problem is in battery size and compatibility. Manufacturers would need to standardize on size, shape, and capacity of battery packs for this to work. Look at your average Walmart's battery assortment. Car manufacturers can't even standardize starting batteries. While it is a good thought, I don't see it happening unless it is mandated. I would object to that because it would then stifle innovation which certainly is needed.

Sorry LA but I'm with StephenH on this one. While the idea has merits, i doubt very much it's gonna happen, at least not here. Read this:

Battery swapping

With 800V battery systems that can charge in 20 minutes it's just not worth the trouble of having a big automated machine extract and replace a 1000 lb or so battery in your car. And remember that this is quite rare, the vast majority of people with EVs almost always charge at home, so you are constraining battery/vehicle design and technology innovation for what is a small part of the EV market.

Most EV makers now tightly integrate the batteries into the vehicle floor structure, they aren't designed to be readily accessible. This provides some very good benefits, structural rigidity, better space utilization, safety.

Another reason the US market will resist doing it: we highly value independent property ownership and don't like being forced to share things we own. For example it would be very cost effective for us to share use of things like garden tractors and power tools but we don't do it.

Re China, most of us are likely to buy Chinese EVs soon one way or another, just as we already buy Chinese TV screens, solar modules, wind turbines, and, for that matter Li batteries, along with a myriad of other products. China selected and already dominates all those strategic industries and, with the largest car market in the world and a centralized authoritarian government with the power to dictate both standards and top level industrial decision making, will almost certainly end up dominating the electric vehicle market as well. More EVs were sold in China in just December than in thee US in all of 2021.

They're smart too, skipping over even trying to compete in the ICE market, where they would have to play too much technological catch up.

Give me a break LA. Of course I looked at the article you shared. I'm well aware of what Nio and a couple of others are trying to do in China.

Did you look at the article I sent? It acknowledges the 5 minute swap, but points out that a 20 minute recharge is close enough that it's not worth doing it. (Nio claims to be able to do it in 3 minutes actually).

Perhaps the issue here is that some folks are so focussed on replicating the gas station paradigm that they don't realize that that is not how people in the US reenergize their EVs

Certainly battery swapping can be done, but that doesn't mean it's the best way. There would inevitably be vehicle design compromises involved, like in all engineering.

I did not attack anything, I just said it was unlikely to happen here
We'll see if it happens in China. It will be done there first or nowhere, so I don't get how doing that here makes us less dependant on the Chinese. We don't even have a charging standard yet.