Are people trying to steal battery packs now, then? - for what other reason would a detached battery be lying next to vehicles in a car park?
(I've always thought that EV battery packs should be standardised, with several easy-ish to replace/upgrade modules per car. But if they make up half the value of the vehicle or so, they also need to be very theft-resistant...)
“There had been some problem with the car and the battery had been removed, we believe that the car has suffered some mechanical damage which can contribute to a battery breaking down and catching fire without notice.
“We don’t have a concern about this broadly, it’s not often that electric cars catch fire.”
> (I've always thought that EV battery packs should be standardised, with several easy-ish to replace/upgrade modules per car. But if they make up half the value of the vehicle or so, they also need to be very theft-resistant...)
If you're there to steal few hundred kg battery pack you probably have angle grinder with you. Nothing says "no" to angle grinder.
I'm pretty sure cutting the wrong part of a car battery would be a big "no", and maybe the last "no" of your life
Ideally, once a pack is degraded, maybe after a decade, you'll be able to buy less expensive replacements that have more range, or even used packs salvaged from written-off vehicles - rather than scrapping the whole vehicle.
And will that claimed longevity be achieved in all conditions (weather/temperature and usage patterns)? - or only in optimum conditions?
Some internal combustion vehicles are kept running for several decades, with many replacement parts remaining available. But with non-standard battery packs and software locks it seems that EVs may have planned obsolescence built in, which goes entirely against the 'saving the planet' narrative.
Which used to be useful lifetime of tech. We should be kinda gracious that we can now have laptops and phones that last nearly a decade (also kinda disappointing because progress slowed down).
> Some internal combustion vehicles are kept running for several decades
only in places where attention for safety is a joke. other than collectible cars (which btw are now rapidly converted into BEV) these cars are public hazard and would fail yearly safety checks in all progressive countries.
> many replacement parts remaining available
Thats a function of how popular car was. Tesla's parts are already one of the cheapest, there are tons of super specialised mods purely because they are manufacturing millions of cars per year.
> software locks
other than disabling high voltage charging due to safety (which I agree might be a bit much but there for a reason - might be even regulatory) - can you list more examples?
Tesla salvage market is wild. Crashed Teslas by battery salvagers are snapped in auctions by hundreds of participants (in my small country) just purely to use their battery.
> planned obsolescence built in
pop media propaganda. we are at a peak of electronics recycling. companies routinely tout using 100% recycled materials. if you don't plan for obsolescence you are basically planning for pollution.