NW-Bound
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2008
- Messages
- 35,712
And "IMO" that's one of the biggest issues they need to fix.... YMMV
Unfortunately, that's also the toughest issue. It is far easier to put in a beefier motor for faster acceleration, and to get the media and public attention. Not just Tesla, but so many other EVs makers compete with each other about acceleration.
On the battery side, I will share something I observe with consumer-grade lithium cells, particularly the 18650 size which was used in Tesla cars until the Model 3 which switched to a larger size.
Right now, you can buy an 18650 cell that stores a bit more than 3Ah, but can withstand only a maximum current discharge of 6A or even lower at 3A. This means at the max rate you will deplete the cell in 1/2 hour to 1 hour.
Or you can buy the cell of the same physical size, but can store only 2Ah or less. However, the cell can support a current discharge as high as 20A. This means you can use a burst of power at a rate that depletes the cell in 1/10 hour, or 6 minutes.
The 1st type of cell is what used in electronic devices such as laptops. The 2nd type of cell is used in power tools such as cordless drills, saws, blowers, etc... And you cannot use the 1st type in power tools even though they store more energy. They would blow up.
The different characteristics of the energy cells and the power cells come from their internal construction. It involves tradeoffs, as always. The cells at the retail level cost about the same.
EV makers face the same tradeoffs. Do they squeeze out another 50 miles of range, or do they shave off 0.1 sec off the 0-60 acceleration?
Why not do both? Eh, that would be harder, and the technology improvement takes time. We have to be patient.
Last edited: