How many more years will Hybrids hold their value?

The complexity of hybrids is in getting the two different drive trains to seamlessly work together.It was a software issue that lead a large recall over stalling while in motion. Full parallel hybrids have only shown up recently because that seamless operation wasn't possible for them when the Prius arrived.

They currently require two cooling systems. BEVs are using one for the battery and drive train components. And hybrids weigh more than their ICE siblings; mass isn't a measure of complexity.

The assertion isn't that batteries can be easily swapped between models; that only happens when models are designed for swap stations. You can't even swap packs between different hybrid models in most cases. The point is that they are serviceable. Structural packs will take more labor, but they will likely be more accessible than my phone's battery. Just like a hybrid battery, BEV batteries will be made of subunits, so battery repair only requires being able to reach the bad units.

Considering the design goals of Ultium, modular sub units and wireless BMS, swapping packs between a Hummer and Cadilac, and even the upcoming Honda using it, will likely be the least difficult.

 

I had not really looked at the Ultium design, so I looked it up just now. I'm not impressed. They appear to be trying to resurrect the skateboard design from the original VOLT prototype. I'm not talking about the design used in the VOLT. There was one that they showed off at the car shows that had a flat battery pack and modular cells.

I did not see anything in their new design that makes it any better than any other battery design. Maybe the battery chemistry, but even there they did not give details about why it was so much better than the competition. Of course, there are problems with battery systems that are based on removable flexible pouches. Cooling, wiring, punctures, venting...

Nope, I will not be buying a GM EV in the foreseeable future.

 

GM's original skateboard concept was a FCEV, AUTOnomy.

Ultium isn't a platform. That would be the EV3 for unibody cars and BT1 for full frame trucks. Ultium is a technology suite for reducing design and manufacturing costs of the EV drive train. With it GM could become a supplier of EV components to others; they started selling Ultium motors a few years before Ford did with the Mach-E engine.

The wireless BMS is probably to only thing revolutionary on its own, but Ultium isn't the components, but how they are brought together. The ease of design and lower cost goals also results in something that could be easier to modify by the end user. Using battery components between a Hummer EV and Lyriq might be easier to do than with a Prius and RX hybrid.

 

Ah... Wireless (aka radio) battery management system. I just love a new technology that uses old tech to with a new title to replace established and proven technology.

I just hate the idea of having all the batteries in my car go into meltdown because some stupid hacker is in his car at the curb with a transceiver/repeater that is sending random radio packets at the car in the hope of unlocking it. Why would they go into meltdown? Sheer luck.

I once caused a million dollar mainframe to freeze up by simply probing the company network for unauthorized connections. The mainframe designers blindly assumed that every packet that arrived over the network was valid and meant for them. They had no logic to handle a simple "echo" packet. Sheer luck. A wireless network that controls the car's energy use is one that needs to be VERY well designed and tested.

 

This isn't just a doing it because we can. There are several advantages to using it for plug ins. There is no longer a need to design the large wiring diagrams for individual battery packs to different car models, nor will such huge harnesses need to be made. That is also a lot of copper not being installed on the car.

This means lower design and production costs, while reducing weight on the car. All of which improves plug in adoption. GM is just the first to use it; they won't be the last.

Then why are you driving a car with a Bluetooth and cellular connection? They both have connections to the ECU, which is linked to the BMS.

Besides that many ICE owners forgo maintenance, is there any evidence of BEV owners neglecting to few items they have to care for?

Oil changes every 5000 to 10,000 miles for millions of cars adds up to a lot of petroleum use. Then even tiny drops spilled ends up being a lot of oil getting into the environment.

 

Following the CDN 3rd gen schedule (8K kms or 6 months, whichever comes first), and currently travelling less than 4K kms yearly, I think our motor oil consumption rivals (or surpasses) gas consumption.

 

bev's will someday run on sunshine. then, nothing will compete with them. we're just at the very early stages