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304 points computerliker | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0.425s | source
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zhyder ◴[] No.45042740[source]
Neat idea to mix batteries of different age and chemistries. I've wondered why EVs couldn't do that too with some power electronics and SW. If an EV battery could have multiple such modules, it'd:

1) Make it easier to carry a cheaper lighter less-natural-resources-consuming battery most of the time. Go to some "gas station" to rent and add more modules when taking a road trip

2) Make it cheaper to replace the 1 module used a lot at its EOL, thereby making EVs last longer and be viable as cheap used cars even past 10 years like ICE cars are

3) Allow easier upgrades as chemistry improves: solid-state, sodium ion, etc.

Modules could be electrically tested for fit. I'd think the fit range would be quite wide (e.g. if one supported lower max discharge rates than another) given the headroom we have with EVs' power these days: they have far-more-than-needed power (which mostly comes for free with EV range).

The tradeoff is that they'd need to be built to be modular with some standardization on module dimensions (maybe we'll have "ZZ" size like we have AA, C, etc today), and would take a tad more volume in the vehicle (though the limiting factor is weight rather than volume). Easily worthwhile over the current model with a huge monolithic pack.

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TGower ◴[] No.45046054[source]
A few tradeoffs you might not be considering:

EV battery packs operate at voltages that are seriously hazardous. Consumers coming anywhere near those plugs is a non-starter, so even more bulk, weight, and complexity would need to be added to make the installation process foolproof.

Waterproofing is critical, the mechanism has to work flawlessly over insertion/removal cycles to keep a watertight seal.

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1. zhyder ◴[] No.45046251[source]
Great points. Re safety, I wasn't imagining the consumer doing it themselves but some robot like ones imagined for whole-battery swapping (e.g. https://youtu.be/Oj6LaYFall4); I think any battery swapping only makes sense for batteries you rent rather than own.
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2. appointment ◴[] No.45050694[source]
What does "imagined" mean? Nio has been doing automatic battery swaps on a mass scale for years.