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Chrysler is betting millennials will want to be as connected in their cars as they are at home with a new concept car that mixes high-tech gadgetry with a head-turning design.
The Portal concept was unveiled on Tuesday at CES in Las Vegas as Chrysler's proposal to the millennial generation and is designed to be a comfortable "third space" for a generation that is just as much at home in a coffee shop as they are at home or work.
[...] On the tech side, the Portal hits all the right notes when it comes to the current crop of concept vehicles: A large sweeping digital dashboard with many of the internal surfaces doubling as flat screens, and internet connectivity throughout.
There are an impressive 10 gadget docks so the six passengers will never be fighting over who gets to charge their device, and Chrysler said speakers direct audio to each seating zone so it's possible to each listen to their own music.
[...] The Portal is a battery electric vehicle with a 250 mile range, and supports fast-charging that can deliver a 150-mile charge in 20 minutes.
Setting aside its intended market, the car has good features that would appeal to a lot of customers.
[One thing to note is that this is a concept car, not intended for production - Fnord666]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by VLM on Thursday January 05 2017, @01:31PM
I have the same problem despite being a generation or two older where early adopter / early announcement syndrome.
So you hear about version 0.1 or maybe vaporware on Slashdot or here or the clickbait sites or whatever and Nope the hell out of there. The rest of the world has no idea about the topic. Then they hear about it around version 5.0 where it does in fact rock. Meanwhile we're still thinking version 0.1 sux.
Its 2017 and mysql added transaction support a mere 20 years ago and you'll STILL run into people swearing mysql doesn't have transactions. Ipod vaporware version 0.0001 sux less space than a nomad lame, meanwhile the rest of the world has iphone 6.0 or WTF is current.
Anyway I'm just saying your view of battery technology is quite accurate for the 80s to 90s, like a little before the GM EV1 era. However its all obsolete long before my wife's decade old Prius (which in itself is like gen 2 or gen 3 of its technology and is also hopelessly obsolete compared to a 2017 Prius)
Cars have always been like that. Domestic mfgrs stopped shipping complete crap around 1980 but it took until, oh at least 2000 or so for many people to notice. By crap I mean door panels that rusted thru in the midwest in 18 or fewer months, engines that were delivered to the end user with casting sand in the oil passages (seen that all myself)
(Score: 2) by Unixnut on Thursday January 05 2017, @02:10PM
> Anyway I'm just saying your view of battery technology is quite accurate for the 80s to 90s, like a little before the GM EV1 era. However its all obsolete long before my wife's decade old Prius (which in itself is like gen 2 or gen 3 of its technology and is also hopelessly obsolete compared to a 2017 Prius)
My view on battery technology is based on how batteries work. I can come out and say now that it will not be possible for batteries to ever reach chemical fuels in energy density.
My battery experiences are from relatively modern equipment. Latest from 2016. My phone is from 2015, so not exactly latest tech, but not from the 80s or 90s either. Still has the same problems all past batteries had (Except lead acid, those things can really take punishment, shame they are so heavy).
And judging from the number of ~5 year old Prius'es around my area that have to run the engine all the time because their batteries are shot, it looks like we still have the same issues as before.
Now I am sure the 2017 Prius will be better. Batteries are so poor right now that I suspect we will see a fair clip of improvement as the years go by, but that just shows how poor they are at the moment.
Personally, I am not convinced battery electric is the answer. I still think liquid fuels are the best for vehicles. Doesn't have to be fossil based. I imagine something fuel-cell electric might be the magic point. Quick refuel, using existing transport infrastructure, high energy density with high efficiency conversion for even more range, and if we use biofuels then a closed carbon cycle as well. Plus no batteries to wear out, although the fuel cell would require cleaning and maintenance, like the rest of the car would.
(Score: 2) by Kromagv0 on Thursday January 05 2017, @03:03PM
Except lead acid, those things can really take punishment
Not really, while better than most they don't hold a candle to Nickel–iron batteries [wikipedia.org] in ability to take abuse and neglect. Those batteries really last a long time but they have a lower weight to charge density.
T-Shirts and bumper stickers [zazzle.com] to offend someone
(Score: 2) by Unixnut on Thursday January 05 2017, @03:48PM
That is very interesting. Thanks a lot for link. I do find battery chemistries fascinating. There are so many! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battery_types [wikipedia.org]
One of these days I will attempt to make my own aluminium air battery, just to see if I can make some decent power out of it.
(Score: 2) by Kromagv0 on Friday January 06 2017, @03:33PM
A promising battery for grid level storage that can take abuse is the Sodium-Sulfur battery [wikipedia.org]. They do require being kept hot so not something you want your regular end user maintaining but they have a high energy density and also don't really wear out as they are just 2 liquids.
T-Shirts and bumper stickers [zazzle.com] to offend someone
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday January 05 2017, @08:20PM
Part of that might be a design issue. Tesla demonstrated swappable batteries a couple of years ago. If automakers follow that pattern then swapping out the battery would be like any other device that uses them.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Unixnut on Thursday January 05 2017, @09:16PM
That is one definite solution, however it will require all EVs to standardise on a particular battery pack size (or sizes, as I suspect supercars will have different power needs to city EVs). Then having the distribution and storage to sustain all differing battery packs, and the grid infrastructure to charge it all. I think it is impractical, considering the amount of batteries you would have to store and charge in certain areas. As the energy storage is less dense than liquid fuels, you will need a lot more real estate for equivalent fueling abilities. This is especially problematic in cities and dense urban environments, where there are a lot of cars per square mile, and real estate is very expensive, and you are competing for space with fueling stations for ICE vechicles. Additionally the lower range of EVs means you will need more charging stations than equivalent fuel stations for an area to be able to keep people moving.
Also, how would the cost be charged? Would you have to buy a battery pack? Will your empty battery pack offset the cost? How would you judge the value of the battery you are trading in? What if your current battery pack is newer (or stores more charge) than the second hand one you are getting? Unlike liquid fuels, where you are just paying for the energy. Here you are paying for the energy, and the container it comes in, which can be differing states of wear and ability to retain energy.
From what I can see, the downsides to EVs are in the battery. Like I think I mentioned before, if we just stuck to some sort of liquid fuel, I think the transition would be easier, with the bonus that if we use Ethanol, or Butanol or Methanol, old ICE cars can also still be used, and they can share existing infrastructure quite happily, reducing outlaying costs and allowing even older machines to convert to a carbon neutral cycle.
(Score: 1) by toddestan on Friday January 06 2017, @04:47AM
The domestics continued shipping complete crap throughout the 80's. That's when they really lost their market share. GM went from controlling almost half of the market to only 1/3 in 10 years. Cars like the Chevy Citation (launched in 1980) which sold over 800k cars its introductory year - an astounding number, to selling less than 10% of that 5 years later after suffering major quality issues and being one of the most recalled vehicle ever. That's a lot of people that switched over tho foreign makes, many of which never looked back.
The other funny thing about your comment is that the better domestic cars from the 80's - mostly the traditional RWD barges, were pretty much carryover designs from the late 70's anyway.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Friday January 06 2017, @12:29PM
Yeah domestic compacts circa 1980 post gas crisis either skimped on aesthetics and interiors (like my ugly as hell Omni/Horizon) or skimped on mechanicals (most everything else, as you mention)
They got their stuff together long before they got credit for getting their stuff together, however. Like decade(s).