One third of drivers can make 100% of their trips with a Nissan Leaf with a 143-mile range.

"Why It's Time to Officially Get Over Your EV Range Anxiety"
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02032023/inside-clean-energy-electric-vehicles-range-anxiety/

Tesla transition to 4680 battery (from model 2170)

QuoteThe Tesla 4680s is expected to increase the range of Tesla EVs by as much as 54%. What's more is that these batteries will reduce the total weight of EVs. This, paired with the sheer amount of mAh in the 4680s, will boost acceleration while reducing costs and increasing sustainability. In short, the 4680 was designed with power, precision, profit, and the planet in mind.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/tesla-s-2170-vs-4680-batteries-what-s-the-difference/ar-AA17VQbk

EVs now account for 1 in 7 passenger cars sold globally

https://qz.com/one-in-seven-cars-sold-globally-now-is-an-ev-1850193842

Volkswagen-JAC Venture Unveils EV Running on Sodium-Ion Battery

https://www.caixinglobal.com/2023-02-27/volkswagen-jac-venture-unveils-ev-running-on-sodium-ion-battery-102002402.html

Interesting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium-ion_battery#Comparison

https://electrek.co/2022/07/14/sodium-ion-battery-breakthrough/

From August 1, 2022

QuoteBut getting this new sodium battery from the lab into commercial production could take five to 10 years, Zhang estimated. He said the lab doesn't yet have a commercial partner, but it's "actively looking for industry partners" to commercialize the tech.

"Sodium batteries still need significant work. So we don't want people to think this is ready-to-use technology. [We] still have a lot of work to do before commercialization," he said.

https://www.emergingtechbrew.com/stories/2022/08/01/sodium-based-batteries-could-be-the-answer-to-lithium-crunch

ugh!

"The Tesla Model 3 manual, for instance, instructs to keep the Model 3's tires from touching the ground during the towing process, and it will be the same with many other EVs."


Towing an Electric Vehicle: Everything You Need to Know

https://www.makeuseof.com/electric-vehicle-towing-explained/

I have not seen a passenger car get towed in years. They all get loaded on flatbeds now don't they? There are so many AWD cars now and I think lots of those cannot be towed safely.

You'll see a few towed flat behind RVs, but they are probably older models.  But transmissions in more recent models (and some early front-wheel drive) won't stand *any* towing --not even dragging them 25 feet up on the tilt-back.  I had a fwd RV that required the front wheels be lifted in a wheel cradle to be towed. Real PITA.

So how do you lift/tow an awd ev? Forklift? hhh

I posted this because it is something I need to look into before I buy subscribe.

I thought the Rivian was designed to be tow charged?

>Rivian

News to me. That's why we have 'Tidbits.'


Rivian Tech:
"Rivian vehicles can be tow charged but are otherwise not flat towable.

If you've run out of charge somewhere remote, it is possible to use a tow vehicle to pull the Rivian forward to add charge back to its battery. This is accomplished by tow charging. When tow charging, it uses the vehicle's regen braking feature to add charge to the battery. We wouldn't recommend this over long distances because it'd be like driving with brakes permanently applied to the tow vehicle and it could damage the inverters of the vehicle. Tow charging would need to be done by towing the Rivian behind a tow vehicle with both vehicles facing the same direction under 3 mph"

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/tow-charging-r1t-r1s.3641/

Ford recently halted F-150 Lightning electric pickup production due to battery fire issues.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/this-ford-f-150-lighting-problem-just-changed-everything-for-electric-vehicles/ar-AA18zgoP?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=f8925f27557d485695eb5ccac6d3d9e8&ei=110

Why EVs Still Have a 12V Battery – Review Geek

https://www.reviewgeek.com/146674/why-evs-still-have-a-12v-battery/

Chevy Equinox EV to be $3400 more than cheapest Equinox gas model, making it cheaper after incentives
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/10/business/electric-vehicles-price-cost.html

QuoteThe battery-powered version of G.M.'s Equinox crossover, for example, will start around $30,000 when it arrives this fall, the carmaker has said. That is $3,400 more than the least expensive gasoline-fueled Equinox. But factoring in government incentives, the electric Equinox should be cheaper. Like all electric vehicles, the car will need less maintenance, and the electricity to power it will cost less than the gasoline used by its combustion engine equivalent.

QuoteFalling prices for materials like lithium and cobalt have also helped. The price of lithium used in batteries has fallen 20 percent from its peak in November, though the metal still costs more than twice as much as it did at the end of 2021. Cobalt has fallen by more than half since May, in part because carmakers are selling some models that do not require it, reducing demand.

QuoteLithium remains in short supply, and prices could spike again. Beginning next month, new regulations governing the $7,500 tax credits will require electric car batteries to be made in the United States, Canada or Mexico with raw materials from North America or another U.S. trade ally. It is unclear how many vehicles will meet those requirements.

Meanwhile, in the real world...

QuoteWith a starting price of $43,500 before government incentives, a Model 3 is now $300 less than the least expensive BMW 3 Series sedan. A Model Y, at $55,000 before tax credits, costs about as much as a comparable Lexus RX.

To me that just underscores that even the low-end Teslas are very much luxury products.

7-Eleven starts its own EV charging network, 7Charge | Ars Technica

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/03/7-eleven-starts-its-own-ev-charging-network-7charge/