Yep. Although EVs are driving innovations in battery technology and one of the first things to go will be cobalt. It’s rare, expensive and mined by children.
Lithium-Iron-Phosphate is the chemistry that’s being used by Tesla in most of their Chinese cars and will be the dominate chemistry soon. It uses no cobalt and matches lithium ion in everything but discharge capacity. It also has a longer cycle life.
Battery recycling companies are already operating as EV batteries are almost totally recyclable and will provide a huge portion of materials for battery factories once EV market penetration is complete and mature. Tesla bought a lithium mine in the US a few years ago. I haven’t seen that they’ve begun anything there yet, though. Nickel is probably a bigger concern than lithium. There is a shortage of lithium mining capacity, not lithium itself.
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The hydrogen cell technology has been shelved by Hyundai for cars and is being shifted to other energy areas like powering buildings and things like that.
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And don’t forget one of the shrewder moves recently was Hyundai buying Boston Dynamics.
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My sister has a Tesla and after I drove it around a bit last week. I decided then and there my next new car will be an EV. It took just a moment to adjust to the difference in accelerating, coasting (it didn’t), and breaking.
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Wow! I missed that bit of news.
I just placed an order for an EV. It’ll be my first. I’ll let y’all know what I think when it arrives in 8+ months…
Edited to add: my main criteria were 1) vehicle designed as an EV instead of a retrofit, 2) 800v+ fast charging infrastructure, 3) company that is fully EV or has a clear end date for ICE development and production.
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What did you order?
One-pedal driving is becoming a must-have now for EVs. Some manufacturers are trying to fake it by allowing the aggressiveness of regeneration to be adjusted, but true one-pedal driving is supposed to be a joy once you get used to it.
eTron GT.
I hate you.
That thing is fucking awesome.
Holy shit…it’s awsome alright, but I’d have to sell my house, both kidneys and my sister’s kids to afford one.
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I don’t know what they have in mind but I’m sure it’s mass-produced vehicle related.
I just looked at the price of a 2022. Holy shit.
Who knew that internet weather predicting paid so well?
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I used to have an Audi A7, which is a very similar size and body type to the eTron GT. That car was heavy as fuck and had only a 3L V6 (albeit turbocharged) to get all that mass moving. Still, it did 0-60 in less than 6 seconds and was absolutely, by far and away the most planted car I’ve ever driven.
Once you got past the moment of inertia, it drove like a car half its size and weight, and stuck to the road like glue regardless of the conditions. You just pointed the wheel where you wanted to go and mashed the accelerator. It was also ridiculously practical with tons of space inside and a hatchback that gave access to a large trunk that became cavernous with the rear seats folded. Best car I’ve ever owned.
Based on that, I can imagine how amazing the eTron is. But I’m probably not even close. The A7 had turbo lag which lead to the laggardly launch, but the eTron has all the torques and will be amazing.
Funny story: I was looking for a new car for when the A7’s lease expired. I’d moved into a patio home in Montrose and it had a tight turn in (the Achilles heel of Audis is their super tanker-like turning radius), so I needed something smaller. The irony being that the smaller Audis have worse turning circles than the bigger ones, so I had to leave the brand (reluctantly).
I test drove an Infiniti G35 sedan; I’d always liked the styling. It was peppy enough if a little tinny, something that was exaggerated coming from an Audi. Still, it was ok to drive. I exited the freeway to do a u-turn back to the dealership, and the turnaround lane was clear. I could see that the cross traffic had stopped, so the cars going my way were about to get a green. No worries, I had plenty of time, so I just blipped the throttle while passing under the freeway to make sure I was well ahead of anyone sprinting off the line. But I wasn’t in my A7…
I exited the turnaround rear end first. The back just whipped around in a flash and, despite feathering the throttle and staying off the brakes while applying opposite steering, nothing on this good free Earth was going to bring this thing back in line. The salesman was doing his best to remain diplomatic, but the then Mrs Limey in the back was freaking the fuck out. The only thing to do was hit the brakes and let it finish up facing whichever way it felt like. The traffic still wasn’t yet coming, so I just carried on and the rest of the test drive was uneventful.
Mrs Limey never let me forget the time I nearly killed her on that test drive. Then, years later, she bought an Infinity and it would spin out and try and kill her on an almost daily basis. She stopped accusing me of trying to kill her after that. Oh, and the tech is awful while the resale value is near-zero. Don’t buy an Infiniti (and, by association, a Mazda Nissan).
At the risk of embarrassing das further (which is not my intention), I give you the eTron GT.
I was reticent to say something. I won’t pay those retail prices. Nowhere close.
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My current car is the A6, the 4-door sedan version of your A7. I’ve had it for 11 years now and it’s still the best car I’ve ever driven (and purchased at the same deep discount) and I expect this new one will be the same for the next 11 years. Just to reiterate, I don’t spend that kind of $$ on a car. I spend a typical Limey lease payment.
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No one ever does. But don’t be embarrassed; you’re clearly good at what you do, you pay your taxes (right?) and so can spend what’s left how you want. According to killjoy financial experts, I’ve spent far too much on cars over the years. But the only money I regret spending is what I spent on bad cars.
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