Hyundai plans to shake up EV market with new “Dream” batteries
Hyundai plans to shake up EV market with new “Dream” batteries
Hyundai has set a March date to reveal its brand-new all-solid-state EV battery pilot line, dubbed “Dream” batteries.
Although Hyundai is clearly ahead of the pack, even the South Korean auto giant admits that it doesn’t expect to begin mass-producing these batteries until at least 2030
So this is still some way off.
Ultimately none of it matters because EVs are still so obscenely expensive. And if you look for "budget" models, they are so barebones stripped out and tinny you might wonder if you're suppose to run it with your feet like Flinstones... and somehow still cost 25k € with included gov eco subsidies.
EV is approaching 50% in several markets, in Norway it's already way higher with 80-90% last I heard.
Battery technology is still developing, and the prices have already gone way way down compared to where they were a few years ago.
So now new models are introduced in the lower price range that actually have decent range and features.This lower price range is still a bit higher than cheap ICE cars. But EV is constantly improving, on both range and price, while ICE is not.
Also the EV is way cheaper to own, and has way lower price to charge than buying gasoline or diesel.
Finally the pollution from an EV is way lower, especially CO2, which drives climate change.So it seems pretty stupid to claim it doesn't matter.
The government can actually help here with subsidies and nice loans for EVs.
It'll take a while, but eventually the used market will fill up with EV's, making them affordable for regular people.
To be honest I feel very uncomfortable buying an EV on the used market. Mainly because you don't know how the battery was charged/used.
The recommendation is to keep the battery between 10 and 90 or 20 and 80 for battery longevity. But a lot of cars ending up on the second hand market are leasecars. And they don't care about the battery that much as they'll return it anyway in 4 years.
If you buy a 2nd hand car that is 4 years old and your battery is ducked after 3, you might as well buy a new one given the cost. Something I feel is less of a risk when buying 2nd hand ICE cars ( though the clutch on those cars is usually ducked because people need to start-stop like a racedriver because reasons ).
They are only expensive up front. When you account for maintenance and the difference between the cost of gas and the cost of electricity, a lot of electrics come out well ahead within several years of purchase. That's also not counting the societal costs in health issues, premature death, and the geopolitical turmoil caused by dependance on oil.
Not that electrics are a panacea for the societal costs of automobiles. Micro particles from tire wear is still a big issue, and rare earth minerals have geopolitical consequences of their own. But, on balance, electrics are cheaper for individuals and for society.
Thing is, I do so little driving I wouldn't recoup costs through cheaper fuel when car costs so much more upfront.
If anyone can make EV for same price as ICE and isn't 5 levels worse, I'd totally go electric. Instead I rather keep on driving 15 years old car that works flawlessly and I basically have no extra expenses with it other than fuel and oil and oil filter once a year that I replace myself.
Which country are you in?