As you know, I have been writing about the adaptation of electric vehicles forever and predicting the conversion to an all electric fleet long before the “experts” have been prognosticating.  One of the primary reasons is that I have faith that battery technology and competitive costs will occur quantum times faster than conventional “wisdom”.

Facts on the ground continue to support my beliefs…

From the first article below, (click on the link for the full article)…

“An EVgo station in Baker, Calif., promises a refueling experience that’s about as close to a gas station for EVs as currently possible. In fact, no EV on the market can handle all the power coming from the liquid-cooled cables of the 350-kilowatt direct-current charger.”

“This is happening. It’s no longer a question of if or when. It’s now,” said Jonathan Levy, EVgo’s senior vice president of business development. “And the question is how much faster it’s going to happen.”

And from the second article, (again, click the link to read the whole thing)…

“The promise of a new generation of low-cost, long-lasting batteries is catalyzing a long-awaited shift to electric vehicles…

The big picture: Steady advancements in battery innovation — rather than a single breakthrough — have brought the industry to the cusp of widespread EV adoption…

What to watch: The next wave of innovation could come from the use of new materials like silicon and graphene to replace nickel and cobalt…

The bottom line: The EV tipping point is almost here, says BCG’s managing director Aakash Arora.

• “Three years from now, there will be no debate that buying a gasoline car is an economically worse decision than buying an electric car.””

And from the third article…

“Hyundai Motor Group has been teasing plans to spend big on electric vehicles, with a goal of 1 million EV sales a year in 2025. Now the metal behind that plan is coming into focus.”

Let me conclude by offering my opinion on how EV adaptation will play out.  The extremely fast charging vehicles will certainly cost more at the beginning, maybe forever.  And the charging stations will be limited, mostly to interstates.  People who want that option will buy them while the vast majority of the public will buy what they need for traveling around town up to 300 to 400 miles on a charge.

Someday in the not too distant future we can look back at this vision and see how accurate it turns out to be!  

ABB sells EV chargers to networks. Some put out 350 kilowatts.

Axios

The Great Battery Race

September 4, 2020

Joanne Muller

https://www.axios.com/tesla-battery-technology-electric-vehicles-ae06cac5-dff4-4276-bbf6-8fba2fcfe95b.html?mc_cid=5642daa222&mc_eid=8f4760cc57

https://www.autonews.com/mobility-report/hyundai-groups-new-platform-key-million-sales-target