When you look back the advances in technology clearly came in lumps. We started with a 24kWh leaf and the Zoe wasn’t any bigger. They’re now 40 and 60kWh vehicles.
On top of that the companies involved in EVs jumped from 2 to most legacy manufacturers plus a sizeable numbers of new companies whose vehicles are all designed ground up as BEVs. Even Teslas technology has been shared to enable others to push forward with battery capabilities and design ideas.
With all this going on there’s a fight now to be the first to launch the next battery technology. Each leap takes years and we keep hearing about companies and universities claiming they’ve a battery capable of x miles and recharging in x seconds. Eventually one will have something in production and at that point the next phase of new cars will be capable of ranges and recharging time currently unimaginable.
However, if we jump to a technology that requires 800v or higher architecture and charger powers higher than even the 350 kWh ones available currently then the thousands currently barely adequate will all need upgrading, often with infrastructure upgrades to support even higher demand. That round of required upgrades will challenge the rollout of new chargers, thus furthering complaints of an inadequate charging infrastructure.
My thoughts are that we aren’t far off a range level that is adequate as long as there’s a suitable charging infrastructure to support them. I know there are companies pushing hard to get that infrastructure up to standard at which point a 400 mile range will be more than enough if the car can gain 209-360 miles in 15-20 minutes. Afterall that’s a wee stop at most service stations. The challenge currently is A roads used as main arterial routes and building charging capacity around them.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.
Mark