Electric Vehicles are Coming - FAST!

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Permalink Reply by Chris Setz on May 13, 2016 at 10:10

Batteries are really heavy, John, much heavier than an internal combustion engine.

Not sure which links you'd accept though - you can find so much contradiction on t'interweb.

The Nissan Leaf is supposed to be the best-selling electric car in Europe. It's battery weighs 300kg.

Here are some generic battery specs from http://www.electricvehiclewiki.com/Battery_specs

 

Type	Laminated lithium-ion battery
Voltage	403.2V [1]
Nominal voltage	360V [2]
Total capacity	24 kWh [2] (16 kWh available, 67% DoD [3], 21 kWh declared [4])
Power output	Over 90 kW
Energy density	140 Wh/kg [5]
Power density	2.5 kW/kg [5]
Dimensions	61.8 x 46.8 x 10.4 in. (1570.5 x 1188 x 264.9 mm) [1]
Weight	648 lbs [6]
Number of modules	48, each with four cells (total 192 cells) [7][2]
Battery pack contents:	Positive electrodes: lithium manganate Negative electrodes: carbon Cells Modules Assembly parts
Charging times:	Quick charger DC50kW (0 to 80%): approx. 30 min (Level 3 charging) Home-use AC240V charging dock (0-100%): 8 hrs (Level 2 charging) [8] Regular 110/120V 15-amp outlet: 22 hours (Level 1 charging) [9]
Battery layout	Under seat & floor -----------------

So the battery weighs around 300Kg - a power density of 2.5KW per kg. Doubtless they'll get lighter but it's a big ask to also make them lighter than a combustion engine.

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