GM Goes All In on EVs: Pickups & SUVs

It's also good to note that attempts improve energy density often increase the risk of thermal runaway and fire. Both the Porsche Taycan sports car and the Eviation "alice" burned to the ground recently. We would do well to note the fact that 5 new Lithium Ion battery factories are currently in production.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/18/electric-porsche-taycan-catches-fire-in-garage-company-confirms.html

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aviation-...ircraft-catches-fire-during-ground-tests
 
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What people are just beginning to understand is that it takes a holistic package to make it work well and hat leadership in one area won't result in a class leading effort.

You can make a big battery - but if your frames are still steel and your inverter isnt super high efficiency you end up with what I see GM talking about which is

200 kWh battery 400 miles. (they haven't stated exactly which combo this is yet) but it isnt starting out sounding great already.

-compare to Telsa-

100 kWh battery and 390 miles

having that big battery could be awesome or it could end up being lame- how well can it keep its cool during hard running and charging?


Im REALLY hoping the general doesnt disappoint me again.
 
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Originally Posted by CT8
Has anyone noticed the sudden push on Electric vehicles ,veganism and banning air transportation to save the Earth?



Yes long time ago, you cant belive what a mess Eu is nowdays. They acually try to force you to buy ev car by rising taxes on ice cars and fuel. The problem is that many cant afford ev cars. Its all about money and has noting to do with mother Earth.
 
Anybody that thinks they are towing their fishing boat down to Key West, FL for the weekend, with their EV pickup truck has another thing coming. EV vehicles do limit mobility and capability by their limited range and long charge times. These larger 200kwh batteries do take longer to charge and fast charging of this next generation of batteries will take even more specialized chargers. Public chargers don't have the capability to fast charge them. Nor will the (not compatible) Tesla level 3 network of chargers top off your GM truck.

These next generation chargers will likely show up in the future, but as of today, the best chargers seem to be 120KW level 3 chargers. They can charge a 100KWH battery to near full in about an hour, due to the declining charge rate as the battery tops off. So expect to spend a full 2 hours charging your pickup truck with boat behind (another big problem due to size) at the best chargers.
 
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Originally Posted by Cujet
Anybody that thinks they are towing their fishing boat down to Key West, FL for the weekend, with their EV pickup truck has another thing coming. EV vehicles do limit mobility and capability by their limited range and long charge times. These larger 200kwh batteries do take longer to charge and fast charging of this next generation of batteries will take even more specialized chargers. Public chargers don't have the capability to fast charge them. Nor will the (not compatible) Tesla level 3 network of chargers top off your GM truck.

These next generation chargers will likely show up in the future, but as of today, the best chargers seem to be 120KW level 3 chargers. They can charge a 100KWH battery to near full in about an hour, due to the declining charge rate as the battery tops off. So expect to spend a full 2 hours charging your pickup truck with boat behind (another big problem due to size) at the best chargers.



There's an Electrify America station with 350kw capable connections on the Keys.
 
If there is a market for chargers, someone will build them. Otherwise EVs are pretty much useless.
Also, EVs are different; generally if you need to charge on the road, you don't have to "fill up".
It is more like "how much do I need?" to get to hope or to the next stop.
The batteries charge faster at first and the rate of charge slows as you go. So half an hour might do the trick; maybe not.
This is why I tell people they are different. You have to throw away your ICE practices.

EVs are not for everyone.
 
I see a dark horizon...... the only way EV will take off is if Gas prices rise, and they just might.... artificially rise not by market forces! If-you-know-what -I-mean.
 
And where is all of this reliable electricity coming from?
Solar and wind, of course. It's perfectly viable and will replace oil/gas/nuclear/coal sometime soon...... [sarcasm]

To make matters worse, solar and wind do not result in lower fuel use. As they must be supplemented with inefficient rapid response peaker plants. The time may come when sufficient solar and wind will reduce fuel use, but as of now, it's not helpful.

It's also good to note that the majority of national energy consumption is not automotive. We tend to concentrate on automotive subjects, as if an EV really matters. However, powering and heating homes and businesses up North consumes more energy than cars do.
 
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And where is all of this reliable electricity coming from?
Good question. I like renewables, especially solar, but there are barriers to solar production, both known and unforseen.
Current solar energy production is miniscule in comaprison, but is experiencing rapid growth.
I believe public policy and cost comparison will dictate change to a large extent.
Solar PV is the fastest growing of the renewables and is expected to continue to be for the forseeable time.

From Forbes, Feb 3, 2020:
Total installed U.S. PV capacity is expected to more than double over the next five years as grid interconnection queues from California to Texas to the Mid Atlantic are full of solar projects. Thus, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that solar PV installer will be the fastest growing job between 2018 and 2028, with a median annual wage of over $42,000.

Forbes - The future of solar

A key takeaway from this article is how China by far leads the world in solar PV deployment.
We are on par with countries like Germany and Japan.
 
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Originally Posted by supton
Originally Posted by CT8
Has anyone noticed the sudden push on Electric vehicles ,veganism and banning air transportation to save the Earth?

No.

Originally Posted by supton
Originally Posted by CT8
Has anyone noticed the sudden push on Electric vehicles ,veganism and banning air transportation to save the Earth?

No.

Yes

No
 
Anybody that thinks they are towing their fishing boat down to Key West, FL for the weekend, with their EV pickup truck has another thing coming. EV vehicles do limit mobility and capability by their limited range and long charge times. These larger 200kwh batteries do take longer to charge and fast charging of this next generation of batteries will take even more specialized chargers. Public chargers don't have the capability to fast charge them. Nor will the (not compatible) Tesla level 3 network of chargers top off your GM truck.

These next generation chargers will likely show up in the future, but as of today, the best chargers seem to be 120KW level 3 chargers. They can charge a 100KWH battery to near full in about an hour, due to the declining charge rate as the battery tops off. So expect to spend a full 2 hours charging your pickup truck with boat behind (another big problem due to size) at the best chargers.
Was thinking about the boat comments. Lots of folks with boats, RV’s, and work trailers get gas at our Buc-ee‘s because with two large sections of pumps they can do a pass through without anyone else getting their shorts in a wad. Hopefully more charging stations go to pass through … but that takes acreage …
 
It been coming from natural gas as coal has been declining.
To be honest I’d have to go looking for a coal fired plant … but within a few miles of our big concrete domes I have watched an 8 GTG plant open up … and a few days ago drove through 48 new pin wheels. They claim the output is 151 MW … so in just a few years it seems the output per unit is going up … ? Cattle are still on the land … and ranchers are liking the extra income.
 
To be honest I’d have to go looking for a coal fired plant … but within a few miles of our big concrete domes I have watched an 8 GTG plant open up … and a few days ago drove through 48 new pin wheels. They claim the output is 151 MW … so in just a few years it seems the output per unit is going up … ? Cattle are still on the land … and ranchers are liking the extra income.
Here in Ontario, the same companies that own the wind farms also own the far more generously compensated peaker plants necessary to make them work, so it's a win-win for them. Low CAPEX required for the wind farms mean it doesn't take much of a per kWh rate to break even or make a profit in deregulated markets. In Ontario, it was a gravy train of epic proportions as there were FIT's involved so the value of the generation is never taken into account. When the wind suddenly buggers off, market price goes way up and those standby peakers/fast-ramp plants fire up and also make a wicked profit. The company gets to claim action on emissions and wear their green hero badge.

Of course there's a floor to the emissions profile of the wind/gas combo which is significantly higher than that of hydro or nuclear, so it all depends on where you are setting the goal posts.

IPCC figures for emissions for our discussed technologies, going off the top of my head here:
- Gas: 490gCO2/kWh
- Solar: 42gCO2/kWh
- Hydro: 24gCO2/kWh
- Nuclear: 12gCO2/kWh
- Wind: 11gCO2/kWh

Let's say you had an average demand profile of 10,000MW that you were trying to fill with wind, so you install 10,000MW of turbines. With an average CF of 30%, onshore wind meets 3,000 of it at 11gCO2/kWh. The other 70% will be filled with standby gas, which actually has a higher emissions profile than the average one noted, but we'll omit that for now, so, 70% of your 10,000MW is 490gCO2/kWh. This results in an average emissions intensity of ~345gCO2/kWh. Better than gas by itself but far higher than other options.
 
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People just need the right mindset … these things can save fuel and lower air emissions … but are not ready for prime time … Let the private sector roll on …
 
I look forward to driving on trips and seeing mile after mile of solar panels where good old earth once was. (Not)
Solar farms are hard to look at … solar panels on a home roof is Ok and even provides airgap/shade for the roof, and removes power loss from transmission lines … far quieter than wind stuff …
A small solar spread got hit by a twister about an hour north of here … the big panels are good sized sails !
 
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