When will this meme die? A Model 3 is very comparable in weight to an Audi S3. The Hyundai Ionic 5 is comparable weight and interior volume to a Toyota Rav 4.
The Hummer is a monster either way and is not a good sample.
The Hummer is a monster either way and is not a good sample.
The Model 3 is 14% heavier than the Audi: https://www.edmunds.com/car-comparisons/?veh1=401999985&veh2...
And the Ioniq5 is 35% heavier than the RAV4: https://www.edmunds.com/car-comparisons/?veh1=401958795&veh2...
9-14% seems comparable IMO and worst case roughly half he mentioned 1000 lbs.
Same for the model S, it's on average about 200kg heavier than a BMW 5 series across the range from most basic model to heaviest on both.
If a car has a 500kg battery, and tech improvements can make that 200-300kg for the same range that would be quite good. Handling improves, safety improves, the suspension can be simpler and in the end also range in stop&go traffic would improve with less weight.
In Europe people frequently buy compact cars.
Let's take VW Golf as an example. The lightest version of the current model weighs 1300kg, more or less.
The EV equivalent, ID.3, weighs 1800kg. That's 500kg extra (!) which is almost 40% more.
That's an insane amount of extra weight for a small car.
The percentage difference becomes less for bigger cars, so I imagine that's why some Americans don't notice it as much.
But for the rest of the world (95% of the world's population), that's a huge deal.
The Rav4 FWD is 3370 lbs, where the Ionic 5 standard range FWD is about 4,000 lbs (the SEL is 4,300).
If the best examples are "only 500-700 lbs heavier" I think there is still room for progress. Rounded, that's the rough 1000 lbs I suggested above.
Electric cars are, in aggregate, simply heavier right now— with implications for crash safety for everyone (especially those outside that vehicle). Any progress toward increasing energy density (and vehicle size) will confer a net benefit to society.
2020 Kia Niro LX (1.6L petrol engine): 3,100lb
2020 Kia Niro Touring (1.6L petrol engine): ~3,250lb
2020 Kia Niro EX (64kWh EV): 3,854 lbs
Batteries are heavy.
A 2023 Rav 4 has a curb weight of between 3615 and 3775 lb [1]
A 2023 Ioniq 5 has a curb weight of between 3968 and 4663 lb [2]
So a difference of between 193 and 1048 pounds between the two. That's actually a lot less than I expected, at least on the low end. 193 pounds is basically equivalent to just having one extra person in the car.
As noted in replies, though, these _do_ take into account different drive trains, so the comparison is not not great from the start.
[1] https://www.toyota.com/rav4/2023/features/mpg_other_price/44...
[2] https://www.hyundaiusa.com/us/en/vehicles/ioniq-5/compare-sp...
Base models: 3,370 vs 3,968. Flagship models: 3,800 vs 4,663.
So 600-850 lbs differential. Not 1,000, but not just an extra person.
To be fair, the Hyundai does seem larger (12" longer wheelbase).
The current generation of battery tech is just a little heavier than would be competitive to ICE on weight. Gasoline holds a lot more energy than a battery can, but the engine is heavier. If/when battery density is able to double (and this solid state tech is 2x-3x current battery, so it would be a game-changer), you would have very similar car weights. This seems to be one of the reasons the big trucks are first, adding a thousand pounds to a 6000 lb. truck isn't as bad as adding that to a car half the weight. I expect we will eventually see vehicles that weight less than the ICE counterpart that get a reasonable range, but hard to say when battery tech advances that much.
https://www.edmunds.com/car-comparisons/?veh1=401999985&veh2...