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Sondors Electric Car
- Thread starter TMOSteel
- Start date
New update from SONDORS Electric Car
We're letting you know that SONDORS Electric Car has published an update. Below is a message from the team about some changes they have made to their campaign:
Model SONDORS Project Report
Dear SONDORS Supporter,
See below for a comprehensive Model SONDORS Project Report and corresponding images.
On March 27th, during the SONDORS team meeting in Italy, the modification and refinements to be introduced on exterior and interior CAS have been discussed and addressed.
On April 12, CAS was updated, followed by re-milled 1:4 scale mode
Manual modification and refinements on 1:4 scale Model SONDORS were made to harmonize volumes and proportions.
Once manual refinements are complete, the 1:4 Model SONDORS has been digitized.
Model SONDORS exterior CAS is updated and finalized
Model SONDORS final chassis engineering update
On April 27, Model SONDORS interior styling is refined.
The Model SONDORS interior CAS has been evolved from styling and engineering point of views to follow all the constrains arising during chassis development
I’m both thrilled and pleased with how things are progressing, and will continue sharing everything as we move forward.
Continue to stay tuned, as we have more details and exciting news on the way.
Sincerely,
Storm Sondors
Ty
Elio Addict
If I forget to plug in my car, can I stop by the gas station on my way to work and fill it up in 10 minutes and still make it to work on time? Rhetorical question... and a basis for a little concern. It'd be neat to have an electric that plugged itself in when you parked it. I know someone's working on it.Sounds like you may have a case range anxiety.
New research suggests the concern is overblown. The latest study says today's EVs can handle almost 90% of all car travel in the U.S.
Sondors will likely offer optional battery packs to meet the various range requirements of their customer base.
Ty
Elio Addict
That's true but what if all the battery packs were maintained by, say, Tesla? If they maintained ALL the batteries used in the vehicles and maintained a certain level of "goodness", it would be like having a new battery all the time.
Lets see... a subscription service where you paid a monthly access fee for battery swaps. You'd be driving your 10 year old Model X and it would perform as well as the day you bought it. Currently, at your 10 year mark, you'll be lucky to get anywhere near new-like performance unless you paid to get a new battery. Tesla could figure out how much it would cost to refresh or replace battery packs and charge accordingly. It would be easier for an owner to pony up a small monthly fee plus, say, normal electricity charge than it would for the owner to pay just the electricity bill and then suddenly have to pay for a new battery. Just a thought.
...and yes, I have a Prius... and yes, I had to do battery maintenance and replaced a couple of cells... and yes, it sucks getting to the battery in a Prius... and yes, it's easier in the Tesla... and yes, I'd much rather have that Prius with a "Blue Rhino" battery!
Sethodine
Elio Addict
They already have a charger that "plugs itself in". The company is called Plugless Power, it is an induction charging pad that you simply park over, and it automagically begins charging your car.
As far as forgetting to plug the car in at night... well let's just say you only forget to do that once. But once the habit was formed, plugging in the car as soon as I get home is automatic.
airforceguy6
Elio Addict
True, but that would be relying on Tesla to commit to only allowing the "goodness" level batteries through this swapping service, and establishing some sort of line of battery performance that is acceptable (certain percentage of discharge or miles on the battery etc). I'm not saying that they are capable of doing that, just saying that it is not very likely they would provide that kind of service.
The battery in these vehicles is a component, no different than a transmission or engine. These components wear out and eventually need replacing, just like batteries. The transmission/engine/parts in your vehicle have a warranty, and may eventually need replacing. And I just don't see Tesla coming out and saying that they will be providing basically lifetime warranties on the battery packs, since you would be just swapping them out forever.
Frim
Elio Addict
Sethodine
Elio Addict
EVs are not going to perform at 10 years-old as they do at 3 or 5. But neither will a gas car.
The difference between the two is not so much in cost, but in when and where that cost is spent.
The Nissan Leaf--most popular of the modern production EVs--is only six years old now, so the jury is still out on their long-term maintainence costs. But all evidence points to them as relatively maintainence-free for the life of the car. At ten years old, you'll have replaced the tires and refilled the windshield washer a few times, and that's about it. (Maybe brake pads, although regen drastically reduces wear on them.)
An equivilant gas car will have had dozens of oil changes, several coolant flushes, and at 10 years old is reaching the expiration date on a dozen other mechanical components. And then there is the 10 years spent on gas vs. electricity.
The end result is that an EV with a 10-year old battery can be sold to a buyer who doesn't need to drive far, and the car will continue to function nearly maintainence-free for years to come. Whereas a 10-year-old gas car has already cost the original owner much more in mainainence costs, and will cost a future buyer even more in the following 3-5 years.
Literally the only advantage to a gas car is the range, and EV range is increasing every year, while battery costs are decreasing. It is entirely possible that by the time the Nissan Leaf reaches 10 years old (2021, for 2011 model years), replacement batteries will be available for less than the cost of an engine rebuild or transmission replacement of a gas car. If Nissan doesn't do it, the aftermarket will.
The difference between the two is not so much in cost, but in when and where that cost is spent.
The Nissan Leaf--most popular of the modern production EVs--is only six years old now, so the jury is still out on their long-term maintainence costs. But all evidence points to them as relatively maintainence-free for the life of the car. At ten years old, you'll have replaced the tires and refilled the windshield washer a few times, and that's about it. (Maybe brake pads, although regen drastically reduces wear on them.)
An equivilant gas car will have had dozens of oil changes, several coolant flushes, and at 10 years old is reaching the expiration date on a dozen other mechanical components. And then there is the 10 years spent on gas vs. electricity.
The end result is that an EV with a 10-year old battery can be sold to a buyer who doesn't need to drive far, and the car will continue to function nearly maintainence-free for years to come. Whereas a 10-year-old gas car has already cost the original owner much more in mainainence costs, and will cost a future buyer even more in the following 3-5 years.
Literally the only advantage to a gas car is the range, and EV range is increasing every year, while battery costs are decreasing. It is entirely possible that by the time the Nissan Leaf reaches 10 years old (2021, for 2011 model years), replacement batteries will be available for less than the cost of an engine rebuild or transmission replacement of a gas car. If Nissan doesn't do it, the aftermarket will.