Chinese EV with a Range of 640 Miles

[david-marlow]

As we have not yet and proabaly not see as Aptera go 1000 miles on a charge for some years. It will be interesting to see other vehicles go over 400 miles on a charge and what there cost will be.

[gregory-annett]

The Zeekr 001 (at least the top end model which gets 640 miles or 1030 kms of range) has a 140kwh battery pack and costs $56k in China, so would probably cost a lot more in the US if it were ever sold there. It’s clearly less efficient than the Aptera, but its secret is CATL’s Qilin battery which has a very high energy density of 255 wh/kg. Now, think about what will happen when this battery becomes widely available and what Aptera could do with higher energy density batteries to boost the range of its models. Perhaps 400 miles could become 500 miles, or 1000 miles could become 1200 miles?

[Shawgrin]

You may not know that Polestar is a Volvo brand. It could be that Zeeker may sell it under the Polestar brand.

[john-malcom]

Yes. I think Zeeker will sell it under their own brand name as that is what it is known as in China and will be known as in Europe. Also known as Zeekeer 001 in Australia. In the US, Volvo is a longtime established brand with many established dealerships. Easier to get Americans (Perhaps Canadians as well won’t speak for them) to go to a Volvo dealer.

[ImAlwaysMIA]

Massive range EVs are a step in the wrong direction IMHO. When people bring up “range anxiety” their concerns usually don’t revolve around the actual range of the EV, it’s about their options when they have used up the available range of the EV. I feel that “Range Anxiety” is actually a misnomer for the real problem: “Infrastructure Anxiety”.

• This reply was modified 2 months, 3 weeks ago by  Krzysztof Rudzinski. Reason: Spellchecker changed words

[Greek]

Total agreement with your point. My 8 year ownership of my 2014 i3 was a rude awakening towards managing charging locations. Infrastructure improved as the years passed. My summer range of about 60 miles gets me everywhere I need to go for short range trips. I no longer concern myself with making it back home. Charging stations are becoming more numerous and many are free. Now with battery tech that charges at lightning speed, I have adjusted my thinking with getting a longer ranged vehicle than I need. Many of the followers of this sight re-educated me on this transition. No need to spend more and carry more battery than is needed. Now if I can only control my ego when APTERA starts selling the 1k mile version.

[john-trotter]

Agree. For the Aptera, I think even 400 miles is more than strictly needed, although that has been my choice. 1,000 miles is only for bragging rights and, perhaps, a few very specific use cases. Few people have uses that warrant hauling around all that extra weight. And 600 miles is an even more-niche, neither-here-nor-there market, imo. And the 250 mile version would have been a perfect application for Dominos’ instead of the Bolt. (https://insideevs.com/news/674599/dominos-chevrolet-bolt-ev/ )

[Mike-Mars]

I picked the 400 rather than the 250 because I cannot charge at home. Solar will help in spring/summer/autumn, but in winter there is very little sun here, and having to go to a public charging station every 250 miles would be painful.

[gregory-annett]

The Aptera charges fast enough that it isn’t going to be painful. Find a supermarket with a charger, so you can get a week’s worth of charge while doing your shopping. Or just leave your car charging at a supercharger while you have a coffee and a muffin. Come back 25 minutes later and you have already recovered 85% of your charge. The other 15%, solar will take care of. Don’t forget, the Aptera only needs 50kw to get the same rate of charge as a 150kw charger for any other EV. Those 50kw chargers are everywhere, and many of them are free.

[Mike-Mars]

What would concern me in that scenario is battery degradation from charging that frequently (and the extra degradation from using DC charging). Slower charging = better from the viewpoint of battery degradation, and similarly, less charge cycles is also better. Hence why I think that 400 is a good compromise.

https://www.chargepoint.com/blog/when-and-how-use-dc-fast-charging

> Another reason not to overdo it on DC fast charging: A lot of power flows from a DC fast charger, and managing it puts extra strain on your battery. Using a DC charger all the time could reduce your battery’s efficiency and lifespan, so it’s best to use fast charging only when you need it. Keep in mind that drivers who don’t have access to charging at home or work may rely more on DC fast charging.

[craig-merrow]

I initially specd the 600 mile range for my Aptera for the extra capacity for winter (cold weather range, heating the car, ect), but starting to think along similar lines about going with the 400 mile range instead.