EV owners of today and tomorrow

[shooterdon]

Good friend has a Fords F series pickup truck that is a hybrid and he likes it. Battery is behind the back seat (4 door). Eco Boost engine drives a generator that powers a motor that drives a conventional drivetrain (I think at least). He told me his average MPG is low 20's which I don't think is all that good actually. It's 4 wheel drive btw.

My 2015 F150 with the 5L V8 is averaging just under 21 MPG. I see the hybrid as a problem waiting to happen. More complexity that may bite you in the butt if you keep a vehicle for a lot of miles. 134k miles on it and hope to keep it for another 125k miles.

I did have it in the shop a month ago. Vacuum line to activate two wheel drive had come off. Cost me $40 to get fixed. I can live with that.

 

[shooterdon]

We have added another EV in the family. My wife had told me that the daughter had bought a used Bolt but I didn't really know any of the details until I talk with the daughter on Monday . Said they charge it in a park near work and they get about 100 miles of range for about $4 So it's a level 2 charger

It turned out to be a 2022 top-of-the-line Bolt with 5,000 mi on it and a brand new battery from GM.

Why would a two year old Bolt need a new battery? I thought they were supposed to last 8-10 years.

I had to replace the battery on the 2015 F150 this summer. It was the original battery and finally died. It cost me $180 installed. I think I got ripped off.

Battery on the 2007 F250 died this fall, and the local shop only charged me $165 installed.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Why would a two year old Bolt need a new battery? I thought they were supposed to last 8-10 years.

I had to replace the battery on the 2015 F150 this summer. It was the original battery and finally died. It cost me $180 installed. I think I got ripped off.

Battery on the 2007 F250 died this fall, and the local shop only charged me $165 installed.

I agree with you. Clearly you got ripped off so it's a good thing you're a wealthy individual.

 

[WinterDeere]

Why would a two year old Bolt need a new battery? I thought they were supposed to last 8-10 years.

All cars suffer infant mortality, both ICE and EV.

 

[LouNY]

All cars suffer infant mortality, both ICE and EV.

I believe they had a recall on those batteries and they all got replaced.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I believe they had a recall on those batteries and they all got replaced.

It's a poor man's way of getting into effectively a new like EV for about half of the going price for new.

5 weeks after getting our 2016 Nissan Leaf SL in 2019 it qualified for a new battery under warranty in Feb 2020. THEY REPLACED THE 30 kWh DYING BATTERY PACK WITH A 40 kWh BATTERY PACK THAT HAS BEEN HOLDING UP VERY WELL

In GM's case, they got with the Korean battery maker and decided to replace all the Bolt traction batteries just to clear up a smoky situation.

Nissan service center told me to outright buy that battery it cost $12,000. I don't know how much the Bolt battery swap out cost. I think it was millions if not more. The battery issues I expect is a reason Nissan and GM has never made money off of those two generations of EVS.

 

[sd455dan]

Why would a two year old Bolt need a new battery? I thought they were supposed to last 8-10 years.

I had to replace the battery on the 2015 F150 this summer. It was the original battery and finally died. It cost me $180 installed. I think I got ripped off.

Battery on the 2007 F250 died this fall, and the local shop only charged me $165 installed.

Why?

Because GM and LG did not get all the bugs out of the robotic assembly line, and two different assembly errors combined resulting in a bent tab that could contact another different voltage potential part of the battery causing a short which could and has caused a few fires.

The number of failed batteries was well under 1%, but to be safe the recalls netted up many perfectly fine batteries.

 

[Grumpycat]

I don't believe so, the electric motor is sandwiched between the engine and transmission.

Yes, 5030 is describing a "serial hybrid" which is simple but inefficient. When the ICE is running for efficiency it needs to be able to mechanically drive the wheels. Surplus power can go to battery for future use.

BMW i3 REx is the only mass produced serial hybrid I know of. Some say the RAM Powercharger will be serial hybrid, I don't know, haven't looked close enough.

Anyway, the tiny BMW i3 REx couldn't go 70 MPH on ICE with AC turned on. Usually could go 70 MPH w/o. And only got 30 MPG. A larger parallel hybrid Prius gets an easy 50 MPG.

 

[Grumpycat]

Why?

Because GM and LG did not get all the bugs out of the robotic assembly line, and two different assembly errors combined resulting in a bent tab that could contact another different voltage potential part of the battery causing a short which could and has caused a few fires.

IIRC there was another issue of improperly coating the anode when constructing the cells used to build the battery. Something about it was prone to thermal overrun (fire).

 

[LouNY]

Yes, 5030 is describing a "serial hybrid" which is simple but inefficient. When the ICE is running for efficiency it needs to be able to mechanically drive the wheels. Surplus power can go to battery for future use.

BMW i3 REx is the only mass produced serial hybrid I know of. Some say the RAM Powercharger will be serial hybrid, I don't know, haven't looked close enough.

Anyway, the tiny BMW i3 REx couldn't go 70 MPH on ICE with AC turned on. Usually could go 70 MPH w/o. And only got 30 MPG. A larger parallel hybrid Prius gets an easy 50 MPG.

The RamCharger is supposed to be a series or serial hybrid, an idea I like.
And could be tempted to buy.