That said:
> Just as Tesla has had its doubters among mainstream auto industry-watchers, the electric Renault Kwid has had its doubters among hardcore Tesla fans
Unmentioned is that the author of this article is decidedly in the former category, and has been writing about the imminent demise of Tesla since around 2007.
He has, of course written at times about how certain of Tesla's manufacturing practices, such as skipping factory acceptance testing, would cause them problems down the road, predictions which have largely come to pass.
I am from the developing world. I am middle class. I don't care much for general electricity storage.
I do care about a decent, low cost, 120 kM or so range car that is maintenance free.
This car, with around 9000 USD in price ought to be a game changer. The article states 30 kWH capacity for the battery.
A normal house in India is built in around 150 Sq. yards or about 1300 square feet. A 350 W solar panel costs about 12,000 Rs. (~180 USD). Assuming an average usable sunlit time of about 6 hours a day, it would take 14 such panels to charge the car fully.
A 12 V, 150 Ah battery (about 1.8 kWh) costs about 10,000 Rs (150 USD). To store 30 kWh, we would need about 16 batteries.
Since the range is about 120 kM, and assuming an average run of 60 kM per day (This is my actual mileage everyday, to and from work, and by most Indian standards, I am driving a lot)
Lets fix the total mileage covered by the car is about 200,000 km (60 km a day => 20,000 km a year => 10 years operation )
So, the car runs for two days, on a single charge. There are two ways, we can go about setting up a solar charger for the car.
1. Half panel Capacity, Half battery Capacity, Charge Daily
-> 7 x 350 W panels - Rs. 84,000 -> 8 x 12V, 150 Ah batteries - Rs. 80,000 -> System setup and mounting - 10% of cost, Rs. 16,000
Total cost : Rs. 180,000
2. Full panel capacity, Full battery Capacity, Charge once every two days.
-> 14 x 350 W panels - Rs. 168,000 -> 16 x 12V, 150 Ah batteries - Rs. 160,000 -> System setup and mounting - 10% of cost, Rs. 32,000
Total cost : Rs. 360,000
Choosing Option 1, Total car ownership & solar charging cost : 12,00,000 (~ 16,000 USD)
Now contrasting this to a petrol car.
Car Cost : Rs. 500,000 (Kwid petrol, AMT, Hyderabad) Petrol Cost: Assuming an average efficiency of 15 km / litre of fuel, and total running of 200,000 km and average price of Rs. 80 per litre of petrol -
Total cost of fuel itself comes to : Rs. 11,00,000
Maintenance cost : Rs. 0.3 / kM (Maintenance charges for my vehicle, averaged over 300,000 kM, between two cars, both from same company)
Cost for 200,000 kM -> 60,000 Rs.
Total cost of ownership of a petrol car : 16,60,000 (~22,000 USD)
The economics work out better if more distance is driven.
This EV model seems very much suited to India.
Since I was doing a costing analysis, I assumed the worst case possible.
Accounting for selling power to the grid when not in use, usage for home, etc, the cost advantage of an EV improves even more.
It is an appealing idea to use the car as a battery store, however, there are a few practical issues.
1. When using the car as a battery bank, we eventually increase the charge / discharge cycles of the battery, leading to quicker need for replacement. An external solar battery is cheaper, considering it need not be miniaturized. 2. When not in use, I'd prefer the car is charged, so that I can use it as and when immediately required, say an emergency. So, using power from the car, is not appealing, to me atleast.
3. Grid is prone to brownout in India, however, most cities and towns are experiencing it less and less and these are the major markets for EVs.
More details are at https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/auto/auto-news...
I would love an all weather three wheeler that is light and efficient to travel to work every day.
Why don’t we stick to the points he mentions in the article instead of just discrediting him?
https://www.nissan-global.com/EN/TECHNOLOGY/OVERVIEW/vehicle...
https://thedriven.io/2019/07/11/nissan-sees-leaf-as-home-ene...
I actually asked them about prices back then but unfortunately they were far out of reach for a DIY conversion (I think they wanted ~$40k for a drive unit for a compact car). They're still around, though (https://acpropulsion.com/) and they provided the drivetrain for the Tesla Roadster.
Electric cars don't have 110/220v readily available AFAIK.
Much more likely it will be closer to something like Suzuki Mehran in spirit: borderline medieval metalwork, simplest electronics possible, but repairable by a highschooler