One of the downsides to the current slate of all-electric vehicles on the market right now pertains to the extra heft added by their batteries, which has been a point of contention for some time. These battery packs are known to add hundreds of pounds to EVs compared to their ICE equivalents, in fact, even in spite of efforts to remove as much of that weight as possible. Aside from hurting range and performance, this added heft is causing some concerns revolving around safety as of late, though automakers like Ford are focused on making smaller and lighter battery packs for future models. Now, one of Ford’s chief rivals – Stellantis – is also throwing its support behind this notion as well, according to Reuters.
While speaking at the Freedom of Mobility Forum event recently, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said that right now, making a battery pack that can result in a range of 250 miles requires adding an additional 1,000 pounds of heft compared to an ICE equivalent, which is a major problem for the executive. “From an environmental standpoint … I don’t think it makes sense,” he said, adding that the industry desperately needs a “breakthrough” in regards to cell technology.
“I think that’s on the way. I think over the next decade we’ll be able to reduce the battery pack weight by 50 percent, hence reducing by 50 percent the use of additional raw materials against a conventional vehicle,” Tavares said, adding that this would also help solve the current problem revolving around a general lack of lithium, a major component in many EV batteries. However, at the same time, he also dismissed the thought that hydrogen is a suitable alternative to pure electric power as well.
“I’m afraid that for the time being affordability is going to be a major showstopper for hydrogen,” Tavares said. “For the near future, it’s (possibly) going to be a solution for fleets of big corporations, but certainly not for normal citizens.”
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Comments
Carlos is an idiot. Not allowing his brands to buy credits to continue to put the HEMi/Hellcat (or updated versions) into vehicles, but waiting for a scientific breakthrough, hopefully in 10 years? Eff off.
I agree with you completely!
I’m sure other EV manufacturers never once thought of this… lol
It’s no small secret that we rushed right into EVs too quickly. Hybrids were and still are the right way to do things for right now. I have a Honda CR-Z and I gotta say it’s not just sipping fuel. Don’t get me wrong, the money I save is going towards building a V8 (TBD as to which one) and swapping it into a Crown Vic, but that being said, it’s nice not shelling over a ton of money every week for a thirsty V8.
Ugh. I meant to say “it’s NICE just sipping fuel”. Gotta love autocorrect.