In this video , I address the most important aspect when looking to buy an electric car secondhand. The battery is considerd the Achilles heel and can be a big suprise if you are not careful. Therefore always ask for a SOH report.
I'm always glad to watch your technical explanations, as they are so clearly presented and I learn a lot from them. In this particular case I confess I ended up a bit confused. It seemed that you were double counting the degradation in the capacity of the battery, by multiplying the SOH and the SOC. Surely the SOH gives the current max capacity of the battery, while the SOC gives the dynamic occupancy (with electrons/energy) of that of that max capacity. This value changing as the battery is charged & depleted on each cycle. And the speed at which the electrons can by pushed into & withdrawn from the battery without over-heating it due to its internal resistance. I look forward to seeing a follow-up if you go into it more deeply. Thanks.
I should maybe have been more clear... In that example the SOH was 70% and the maxi milage 140km with a loss of 60km, that is indeed the maximum distance if the SOC =100%. . If the is SOC =50% then the remaining distance that can be driven is "New stated milagexSOHxSOC. That is what was intended.
Well I also found the discussion very interesting. Like it or not EV may be wave of the future and there is no point in not learning as much about it as possible. EVs have many pluses and negatives but the tech is interesting. For example I don’t think it is so easy just to say they are bad because bad for the environment. The ICE certainly is doing the environment no favors. I looked at a Tesla 3 but while great fun to drive passed because really there is nothing wrong with my 325 coupe and it is paid for! Same with my TR6 which I love. Plan on looking at the Volvo 30 when it comes to the US. It seems to generally be getting good reviews. Just got back from London and Amsterdam and EVs were everywhere, even our taxi in Amsterdam was a Ford Mustang. It is important to have an open mind, keep learning and perhaps changing. Thanks for taking the time to share with us.
I have a 2021 Mini E. It has a 30 kW battery, which is rather small. I charge at home in my garage on 120 volts which takes a while. I run the battery down to 40% usually and then back to 100%. This takes overnight. I don't charge everyday, but I always go to 100% since full range is only 110 miles. So far I can detect no battery degradation. If you can't charge at home, owning an electric car would be inconvenient and probably a deal breaker. We have a van for hauling and long trips. I also own a MG!
I got a lot of information from your video, Sir. Very useful when assessing the possible decision to go from fossil fuel propulsion to EV. On the face of it, I consider the technology to be in its infancy compared to current alternative fuels, such as petrol and diesel and as such, our fleet will remain diesel powered. Having said that, when the ICE ban finally comes into force here in the UK, we will be faced with 2 options. Electric vans, or close the business. I say that because I am convinced that within a short timespan following the cessation of ICE production, our wonderful Government will close the forecourts, at least the diesel and petrol sales side of those operations. So then it is either comply, and replace the fleet with electric vans, or don't (the consequence of which is apparent). Think i'll stick to my 1976 Midget 1500, for as long as I can buy fuel for it, and then i'll get around using a magic carpet.
In the US the law says an eight year old battery must hold a charge of 80% or you get a warranty replacement. Also at 100,000 miles it must hold an 80% charge or you get a warranty replacement. My experience with Pruis batteries proves you can go further by a lot. batteries says
Thanks for the comments, and don't believe what the battery (BMS) tells you. Its software, and the vendors will trick us if there is a law as you stated ... Remember the VW scandals on emissions... same goes here, to much room for cheating with BMS stats to meet the regulations
here, in NY, we have famous brutal cold winters..have a few buddies in our practice that have sworn off the EV..due to extreme effects on charging and performance..plus service..Tesla...but good luck am sure you will give occasional updates..
As the used secondhand EV market grows and the demand increases, the generally uninformed car buyer and sales person need to up their game, regardless of opinions, they will remain on the roads, love them or hate them, knowledge is power as a user. Thnx for scratching the surface for the viewers who may not know what to consider during a purchase, may the technology continue for the better of us all ! .... (2 EV vehicle user here btw 😁)
Hi Steve, I'm very suprised about your topic and thanks for this informative video. I'm a super7, several motocyle and tractor owner, we can say a petrolhead too. 4 years ago, after several issues with my wifes car (short distance driving 8-12 km one way) decided to try an electric car. I tested some new petrol cars but in my opinion this downsized, turbo charged, direct injection 2-3 cylinder cars with dpf and zms ist just a pain in the ass. I used to be an electric car hater but on the other hand I was very courius as well. We got an bmw i3, wich is not only as an electric car intresting, as a car as well. Carbon monocock, rwd, relative low weigt. It was also a financial decision, rare service cost, low tax and Im working for a big tir one supplier we had 5€/month flatrate charging option in the company. Long srory short, I can not realize any degradation after 6 years and 70.000 km. Key is maybe the active heating and cooluming with heat pump. If you check especially nissan leafs, no battery heating and cooling, the have lots of capacity loss. I3 has an hidden menu where you can rughly the actual usable capacity. Of course long distance driving with ev is not the best option but as a daily driver Im convienced. Br Peter
Thanks Peter, and thanks for the write up. SOH depends on many factors and I am sure if you got your car battery tested ( not with the build in BMS - values) after 6 years of use it will be at about 85-89% procent . So yes EV's have a place in the market , but should not be the only option.
@@D3Sshooter thank you and Im sure you are right only the professional diagnostic can you give a full wiew. As a user its hard to tell just dependend on the range to say whats going on because it depents on temperature, topography, how do you drive even on on rainy road you have less range. This capacity loss is simular to the "wear" diagramm ic engines. At the beginning high, than for a long period nearly constant or slowly fall, at the and drops very fast. We should make a difference between lfp and nca ncn chemistry. Im sure you know better than me how different is the behaviour regarding charging habits, and even the safety aspects.
Great Video! In Canada, we are told that 50% of driving mileage is a good number under winter driving conditions. I plan to keep my Toyota Tacoma until they outlaw gasoline. What about tires for an EV - are they special to compensate for the weight or other factors?
Good explaination, maybe you could do a follow up clip on the cost of getting a replacement battery, which would have to be new if anyone wants a reliable car. Idealy, if a new battery was eg, $500 and have an average life of....5-8 years, than I would vote for EVs, but if the dealer quotes $2,000-3,000, then sorry we will stick to our Corollas, Hondas and Polos. Then that question of battery fires. On energy, if a country has an over abundance of hydro, wind, solar energy, and if other conditions were ideal, then EVs would certainly have a place. However some countries have oil and coal run generators, so EV customers are actually not contributing to the total air quality - if you want to follow the 'climate change' narrative. There is a good percentage of energy loss between the power station and the EV charging socket!🐞
Yes, the problem of heat in lithium cells is an annoyance that car manufacturers try to mitigate in every way they can, but when batteries catch fire there is very little you can do... other than watch your expensive vehicle burn. I'm not "against" EVs but in fact I would prefer to have seen the hydrogen solution developed either in fuel cells or even in combustion engines. But the story went through lithium first, largely because of Mr. Musk! c'est la vie!
Don’t give up on hydrogen fuel yet. I just read an article the other day about a big manufacturer who is currently working on a hydrogen combustion vehicle. I too think that hydrogen is a much better long term solution.
blue hydrogen is the cheapest to produce, it also seems to be the most polluting process which irritates climate radicals, but there are other ways of extracting hydrogen from nature in a cleaner way, but there seems to be no desire for change... it is more practical (in the eyes of a fool) use lithium, then sodium, then god knows what else!
I find it interesting that a race car guy and a talented builder would buy into the EV fiasco.. they are dangerous and not really environmentally friendly.. plus the ev market is crashing big time ..
Don't get me wrong, I am a petrolhead and have no EV and will not get one either unless forced.. Never the less its a technology that we can talk about, and especially for those people that want to buy a secondhand EV... My answer is No don't do it... But if they want it, then they can use some of my information here
