PckMan t1_j243t4c wrote
Reply to comment by DragoonXNucleon in ELI5 why do electric vehicles have one big battery that's hard to replace once it's expired, rather than lots of smaller ones that could be swapped out based on need (to trade off range/power/weight)? by ginonofalg
Grab and go batteries for what exactly? Lead acid batteries for gasoline powered motorcycles or batteries meant for electric scooters and mopeds?
For starters when I saw modular batteries I mean batteries in which you can swap out individual cells as the original post suggests, not whole batteries you can swap in and out of a vehicle. Secondly though car makers could standardise batteries between them this would severely limit them in many ways. We like to think of batteries as the equivalent of a gas tank in an internal combustion car but that's not exactly the case. Yes batteries store an amount of power inside but the role of the fuel pump is also up to the battery, that is the rate at which it can charge or discharge has to do with the battery. Moreover the weight and shape of the battery changes from manufacturer to manufacturer and in many cases the battery housing serves as a structural member. This means that not only the capacity and therefore range are determined by the battery but also the charging times, power output, vehicle handling and weight distribution and chassis construction. So if you limited manufacturers on using a specific set of batteries, they'd all basically have to make the same cars, just with different looks. Two cars using the same battery but different electric motors would still have the same maximum power output at the wheels which is limited by the battery, a stronger motor wouldn't be able to draw power at a faster rate to output more power to the wheels.
Admirable_Remove6824 t1_j250nt4 wrote
They do have electric bikes with standard batteries. They do have battery swap locations. If they aren’t the same brand then they must have a standard type they use. Like a propane gas tank swap place. I’m sure it would be hard right now to standardize car batteries because the technology is changing relatively quickly. The biggest issue is not having “right to fix” laws in the US. Companies are allowed to continue to make money off of cars, tractors and other products after you buy and own them. They keep a monopoly and if anything this slow technology advancements with proprietary rights. When car companies first started making cars there biggest advantage was aftermarket opportunities. Now if you buy a Tesla or such you can’t modify or repair without permission from them. Monopoly’s delay progress. We might be flying electric cars but now without oil monopoly’s!!
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