They’re very expensive...

there are many factors associated with buying of electric car…Costing is one of them.
the following thought…provides some advantage…

I disagree.

What you’re basically doing is selling a car and renting the engine, correct? Who pays for the battery when it dies (they do die afterall)? Who pays for the electricity to charge said battery?

Are you simply trying to get the price of the car down to that of a gasoline car? All the added infrastructure required to maintain a worldwide database of batteries, paying monthly for them, troubleshooting, etc. would likely increase costs even further.

I like where you’re headed, but I think you need a bit more refinement in the strategy as I don’t think it considers all cost factors.

There’s a neat TED talk on this topic that I think could actually work

http://www.ted.com/talks/shai_agassi_on_electric_cars.html

They treat the car like a phone to a service provider and the batteries like propane tanks. Really interesting, check it out.

Why rent (or rent-to-own, whatever’s being illustrated here) the battery when you can just lease the whole car? It’s not like there are any EVs so compelling that you would have any grand desire to keep the econobox shell longer than the battery lasts.

Of course whether it’s leasing or the phone contract model, the problem is that either is, as everyone knows, sort of a scam. It’s never cheaper than simply buying the thing outright, it just has cash flow and/or tax advantages. If creative accounting is the only way to make this technology “affordable,” despite the huge advantage in operating costs, then that doesn’t say much for it.

Great point Jim.

Renault Twizy has this model.


http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/14/renault-twizy-ev-goes-on-sale-in-u-k/

The 17-horsepower Twizy, which has a top speed of about 50 miles per hour and can be recharged in less than four hours, starts at 6,690 British pounds ($10,600 U.S. at today’s exchange rates). That low price is offset by the fact that buyers must also rent the car’s battery for 45 British pounds a month under a three-year contract that allows for 4,500 miles a year of driving. Other options include £545 for “scissor doors.” The Twizy is 92 inches long, or about a foot shorter than the Smart ForTwo.

This is a compelling city vehicle, very attractive in person.

The technology of EV batteries is not stable for sale and long term guarantee. Renting or leasing the battery is a great solution.

Rental model is selected to reduce than the gap from gasoline cars…the sketch is just initial thought…it will require refinement with actualities.

From this article, High Cost of Electric Car Batteries Bared - WSJ
the cost of Electric car from FORD (Focus EV) will $ 40,000 with battery cost $15,000.
Just transfering this $ 15,000 from initial purchase, it will be available for $ 25,000…with rental plan…
(which will come close to gasoline Cars …average cost $ 25,000 to 30,000)
Ex.sell EC at $33,000 (car + partial battery cost) & collect rest of it ( $7,000 + interest + insurance) through rental cost…

One can compare them yearly cost comparison chart…it needs some updating here.
http://www.ccds.charlotte.nc.us/~jarrett/EV/cost.php

We already know the system works for mobile phone service providers…similar platform can be adopted.
May be connect with battery data/car data to owner’s mobile phones…develop an app :wink:

Leasing the whole car may a option… but this fits into public/private transportation product category…not as personal products.

but here you will be knowing the remaining cost that needs to be paid over the period …which is more like bank loan installments…just you have to select your installment plan…

@ nxakt & Design coterie…its good to know that they have been implemented or discussed in some format…

I really don’t see it that way at all. It’s as if you are asking people to rent their gasoline in their current cars. Sure, you may know how much you have left to pay, but that isn’t the value of the battery after X years. When you’re done paying the rent, you’ll be close to needing new batteries anyway… Then what?

Hmm, most electric cars that have been produced to date have been leased, lots of people lease cars (I did,) why is it not an option? If this model ever actually took off, that’s exactly what it would quickly turn into, the shell that holds the battery off the ground would be more or less “thrown in” to make the battery rental more attractive. Of course they’ll still be competing against gas cars that are also leased, offering more “car” for the same dollar.

Again, if this is all anyone can come up with to get the cost of buying an electric car down then it’s an admission that battery technology is going nowhere fast.

When the battery runs down, it can take anything up to eight hours to re-charge it. So you’re stuck…

When you buy a Fluence, you don’t buy the battery - you pay a separate monthly charge for it and for access to the switch stations. This fee is based on how far you drive the car…& robotic battery switching stations…

_62578701_car3.jpg

You did note the part about how it’s incredibly expensive and no one’s even close to making money with it, right? If we HAD to make electric cars work tomorrow we might well go that route, but it’s still not a very efficient sort of infrastructure compared to filling up with a simple pump from a tank(which you could do with a fuel cell, of course.) And in the end, for what? New cars are so clean there’s nothing to gain. Lower operating costs would be nice, but ALL these schemes significantly raise them.

I wish more people applied “less is more” to public policy and automotive regulation/development.