In message , Fredxx
writes
On 20/05/2021 00:21, Steve Walker wrote:
On 19/05/2021 19:00, GB wrote:
On 19/05/2021 18:16, Steve Walker wrote:

The point is that even if you don't do it often, electric cars
aren't capable of it when needed. I don't want two different cars,
just one to fill all the roles I need it for. For me a plug-in
hybrid would make the best sense. 60 miles range would cater for me
in day to day driving on electric only, almost all the time, but
with the ability to do longer journeys, as and when, at zero notice.

One of the manufacturers was looking at a little trailer with a
motor + generator that you could hire for long journeys. Or leave in
the garage until needed, so you weren't lugging around a heavy
engine just for a trip around town. It doesn't seem to have caught
on. Maybe, it will.
But would leave you unable to tow a trailer or caravan on long
holiday trips and with lots of problems parking anywhere if needed.
I'd like to know that if I was running low on power on any journey,
I could switch to an included petrol engine if my plans changed.
Alternatively, I would love to have standardised battery packs that
could be exchanged at a "petrol" station, reducing stops to minutes.

I do envisage that sort of system. There was a proposal for Tesla along
these lines.

Full charge in 90 seconds:
https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/videos/battery-swap-event

I hope these batteries are not like the tiny button type I get for a
small clock (actually a watch mounted in a plinth). Some last for ages,
while others literally for just a week or two. Just imagine driving out
of the 'filling station', and only getting a couple of miles up the road
before the battery goes flat!

There's also the problem of standardization. If they're like watch
batteries, there will be hundreds of 'standard' sizes and voltages.
--
Ian