what happens down the line with battery improvements?

[kavade]

I'd be interested to hear any opinions about battery tech improving. Not just "Will it?" but mostly I'm wondering if
replacing batteries made recently with improved batteries that seem sure to show up in the near future, would be
possible. I read an article about the Chevy Equinox EV in which a company exec said that replacing the battery
system in that vehicle would be easy when tech improves. If I buy an Equinox now, with a 300 mile range, if a battery comes
along in the future with a 500 mile range, would replacement be possible ? I suppose it would depend on the future battery
configuration, and business rights, but in general does that look doable?

Any opinions out there? I'm at sea when it comes to things like this so would appreciate any educated input.

 

[brianc35]

There's a lot of considerations with new potential battery tech. let's take a look at lead-acid vs lithium ion as an example of the past upgrade/update.

The charging voltages are different
The drain/consumption curve is way different, voltage-wise
the float and maintenance of the battery is different.
the bms is different (or non existent)

So, assuming it's just a battery bank, those controllers and monitors and charging kit needs to match with any potential technology change.
If it's truly hot-swappable, all that kit would need to either be backwards-compatible or the entire assembly would need to be swapped, at that means significantly higher costs, but would mean higher compatibility.