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Another data point in the conversion of our transportation fleet from Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles to Electric Vehicles (EVs):
Electric vehicles are making up an ever-increasing percentage of BMW's sales, both here in the US and worldwide, according to a statement released by the company on Friday. In April in the US, the BMW i3, i8, and X5 xDrive 40e accounted for just under 15 percent of all BMW passenger vehicle sales—a combined 2,572 cars out of a total of 17,786 cars sold last month.
More than half of BMW's EVs have been sold here in the US, which, along with Scandinavia and the UK, is the company's best market for hybrids and EVs. BMW's electrification strategy is a two-fold affair. There's the i sub-brand, which currently features the i3 city car and i8 sports car (two of our favorites here at Ars), and it's believed that a third i model is in the works, a crossover called the i6.
The company is also building hybrid versions of some of its regular vehicles, including the 330e, X5 xDrive40e, and now a 740e as well.
In recent news BMW also announced a joint fast-charger network with Nissan.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by halcyon1234 on Wednesday May 18 2016, @02:15AM
You want to know when there will be a mass adoption of electric vehicles? I mean the exact, specific moment?
It'll be the moment someone takes a Powerpoint to Walmart that shows "If you invest $x in public infrastructure (charging stations), and fleet conversion, you will get $millions in profit from gas savings, tax breaks, and a bump in PR"
The change to the Walmart fleet will almost be overnight. There will be charging stations and economies of scale for all as a spinoff benefit
Original Submission [thedailywtf.com]
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday May 18 2016, @02:26AM
What infrastructure would be appropriate for charging away from households, such as in/near Wal-Mart parking lots? "Fast" charging? Battery swap?
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Wednesday May 18 2016, @02:33AM
"Fast" charging of course.
The longer you car is charging, the more time you spend shopping.
I also don't like battery swap because you just know that they will give you one with 100k miles on it, right after you replace your battery in 7 years.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 18 2016, @02:49AM
Battery swaps wouldn't work like that.
You wouldn't buy one and then swap it out on your next recharge.
You'd sign up for a service contract that either sold you prepaid battery swaps (like prepaid cell phone minutes) or a monthly subscription that guaranteed you at least X number of swaps. But you wouldn't ever feel like it was "your" battery any more than you feel like a rental car is "your" car.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday May 18 2016, @06:52PM
Renault addressed that problem already: Buy the car frame, but lease the battery.
Need a new one? Swap it, it's not yours.
Long trip? Swap for charged ones as you go, it's not yours.
Worried it might be old? who cares, just swap it again.
(Score: 2) by bitstream on Wednesday May 18 2016, @02:59AM
In which case you replace it again until the battery is good. And the car system will then diagnose if the battery is good enough before hitting the road.
(Score: 1) by anubi on Wednesday May 18 2016, @04:35AM
Like buying a brand new set of welding gas tanks.
Isn't that a letdown on your first exchange?
Getting into welding? Check the pawn shops for welding tanks first!
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by halcyon1234 on Wednesday May 18 2016, @02:48AM
A fleet-level, nation-wide charging network. They would need a five-nines level guarantee that their fleet can be fueled anywhere, anytime, 24/7. In-house charging stations won't cut it (Walmart would have to maintain it, trucks could only fuel at a Walmart, etc).
It's a massive project, and tax dollars aren't going to pay for it upfront. Can you imagine trying to get something like the Interstate system approved by the government in today's day and age? Never. So if someone said "Hey Walmart, if you kick in $1 Billion towards building this across North America, you'll get back $50 billion in savings and tax credits over the next X years"... bam, it'll happen
Original Submission [thedailywtf.com]
(Score: 3, Informative) by Whoever on Wednesday May 18 2016, @04:57AM
The government already kicked in $100M for a nationwide charging network. [wikipedia.org] It was more successful than Solyndra (although it ultimately sold its assets for $3.3M), but Blink DC chargers are very unreliable.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 18 2016, @02:43AM
That's an interesting thought, but I don't think that's how Wal-Mart does business. That would be a huge investment outside of their core business, for something that wouldn't give Wal-Mart stores an obvious competitive advantage (since gasoline is still reasonably cheap).
Bezos or Musk would pull something like that first. That's the way those guys think.
(Score: 2) by bitstream on Wednesday May 18 2016, @03:11AM
It's simpler. When it's cheaper to drive electrical over gasoline as a total cost without subsidies. Or if there's a competitive advantage like being able to get all the energy from ones own wind power etc but that still requires lower cost overall.
Another advantage is being independent if (or when) the distribution network of oil wells, boats, refineries, trucks, filling station and credit system stops working. And being able to power the house as a bonus.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by hemocyanin on Wednesday May 18 2016, @06:02AM
I recently bought a used Nissan Leaf for about $10.5k -- no subsidies on used vehicles. I'm averaging 4.5 miles per kWhr, each of which costs me about 10.5 cents -- that's 58.33 cents per 25 miles. My other car gets 25 miles per gallon and sadly, requires super. I paid $2.90/gal today to fill up. Every time I drive the leaf 25 miles (about my daily commute), I save about $2.30. That's 11.50/wk, or almost $600/yr based on today's gas price. Plus no oil changes.
The other half of the equation is that for an econobox, it's totally fun to drive. I got it as an experiment, but for my next new car, it's going to have to be electric. It's such a pleasure to drive.
(Score: 2) by bitstream on Wednesday May 18 2016, @06:41AM
You would need to keep it running for something like 6 years with the same battery to make it pay. Of course it really depend on the alternative cost for a gasoline car. But with your numbers it seems the electric won the economic game which will make a huge difference. Now it also need the electric range to.
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Wednesday May 18 2016, @07:29PM
More than 6 actually, a new battery is $5500 -- if I make six years I'll be about $2000 in the hole comparing battery to gas. Hopefully at some point there will be aftermarket batteries for cars that cost less and hold more. Anyway, before I spent a bunch on an electric car, I wanted to get some experience with a cheap one. And like I said, driving it is so much nicer than I ever imagined.
(Score: 2) by bitstream on Friday May 20 2016, @12:23AM
Do these electric cars feature a gear lever?
(Score: 1) by wirelessduck on Friday May 20 2016, @03:25AM
Electric cars have no gearbox?
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Friday May 20 2016, @03:28AM
Yes. There is "Go", "Park", "Reverse". ;-)
I've never owned an automatic always preferring a stick shift, but the fact that there isn't a complicated transmission means one less thing to maintain or go kaput.
(Score: 2) by bitstream on Friday May 20 2016, @04:42AM
The real aspect of this is that there's a limited driving license which only allows the use of cars with an automatic gearbox. Thus all electric cars would then be allowed for such license.
(Score: 2) by rondon on Sunday May 22 2016, @06:42PM
I've been pricing out refurb batteries for Priuses (Prii?) at about $1,000 and brand new for less than $4,000, so I think your $5,500 number can come down substantially.
Unless you need to get it from the dealer for some reason?
(Score: 2) by M. Baranczak on Wednesday May 18 2016, @03:35AM