The motors, of course, are accessible on the wheels. The controllers are easy being in the frunk. But what about the batteries? If you want to remove, replace, or repair the batteries do they come out under the vehicle or do you remove the interior/floor and take them out through an open door?
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Since degradation is SO slow per mile, it seems like our batteries may die of old age first, since something like 10 years seems to be what most people claim. In that case, years might still be the right metric.
On the other hand, if you believe the Samsung SDI claim of "30 years +", that's what's in my Fiat 500e 🤞 Here are some anecdotal examples for it:
My own current EV's 24kWh battery has only 26,000 miles but also has no sign at all of battery degradation.
Other 500e users report the same, even with twice that mileage.
2 other users with similar mileage have measured their capacity loss* at about 2.3% every 10,000 miles. This still gives little to no sign even after 50,000 miles because it makes as little difference as a few mph of headwind.
*by performing the EPA procedure of discharging until the motor stops & then fully recharging on a metered charger. Then they compare the meter reading to the EPA spec.
I think that "years" is not the right metric, but rather something more like miles per kWh of battery capacity.
As an anecdotal example, my current EV's 24kWh battery has 110,000 miles on it with little or no sign of battery degradation. That's 4,583 miles per kWh. If I proportion that up to the 40kWh battery in the Aptera I've ordered, and then multiply by 2.5 (10 miles/kWh instead of my current 4) I get over 450,000 miles assuming identical battery cell performance.
The battery pack in the Aptera should perform better in virtually every respect so I'm being very conservative here.
I drive about 20,000 miles a year (rather more than the average U.S. driver). At that rate, the Aptera's original battery pack should last me at least 22.5 years.
Multiply that by another 2.5 if you really think you need the 100kWh battery pack.
If it ain't broke, I don't plan on fixing it. Other things more likely to fail long before the battery does.
Okay, I suppose replacement after 10 years could technically be called "service", since my EV's service schedule lists coolant replacement every 10 years. But me & Lance are unfortunately unusual for considering a car purchase to be so long-term. I wonder how many past ICE buyers considered engine replacement in 10 years as "service".
By the time Aptera is available there will be 10-year-old Teslas, RAV4s & eFocuses for us to get a feel for how long EV batteries really last with proper TMS (Leafs don't qualify as such).
Again, the current model's efficiency, acceleration & cornering make a half-weight battery upgrade seem rather unnecessary, except maybe to add cargo-carrying capacity.
As noted above, EV batteries need no "Serviceability", so this thread is really about "upgrade in 5 or 8 years".
The current model's available 1,000-mile range makes an upgrade to "twice the range" seem rather unnecessary.
Yes, I wouldn't expect the aftermarket to accommodate the details of custom batteries for various applications, from shape of package, cooling, charge characteristic/control and so on. An upgrade would come from Aptera themselves I would imagine. It would be cool if I could self-install it...
Again my inexperience speaking here but cost justification after # years, heat/cooling adapation for alternative batteries and fit, etc... are some thoughts dancing in my head 🤔at the moment
But nice to know such things
Yeah, probably get 10 years, but I think about the possibility to upgrade in 5 or 8 years too. What if I could switch to a solid state battery or whatever in a few years and get twice the range in the same space?
In a video Chris said you can access but not real easily
I never owned an EV but expect ten years life with proper use...Lots can factor in on that.
But ”YES” it will be nice when we can get access to items like that
I imagine the 100kwh configuration/occupied space could mean tighter quarters too???