That many Li-ion cells must be a large proportion of the price - I
wonder if you get good quality or even hand-matched cells? And how long
before the battery pack has had enough and requires replacing?


A French electric car has the battery pack _on hire_ from the
manufacturer. You don't buy it. Is that the way to go here?

Sylvain.



The big problem with rechargeable cars is the length of time required to
give a full re-charge. You can fully re-fuel an IC vehicle in minutes. I
can see this being a bigger problem in the US, where people think nothing
about driving hundreds of miles in a day.[1] Re-fueling stops will not
neccesarily co-incide with convenient overnight stops!

I really can't imagine any battery charging process in the near future that
can transfer energy anything like as quickly as pumping hydrocarbon fuel.

The only realistic solution I can see is having standardised battery-packs
which can be swapped for fully-charged ones. But that's fraught with
problems. It makes it difficult for manufacturers to to introduce new
battery technologies, for example. Also, the size and weight make this a
non-trivial problem on the forecourt too. Somewhat akin to doing an
engine-swap every few hundred miles! Also, I imagine it will have consumer
resistance because people will want to own 'their' batteries, and not swap
them for ones of unknown history. Then there's the issue of who owns the
actual cells, and who takes the financial hit when a battery pack finally
gives up. The unfortunate person who happens to have the battery that day?
Perhaps the idea of the manufacturer owning the cells and hiring them will
address this problem.

Certainly an interesting idea.

[1] An American friend told me this a few months ago: What's a difference
between a Brit and an American? A Brit thinks 100 miles is a long way, an
American thinks 100 years is a long time.

--
Ron