Recent content by Benjamin Nead

I remember supplying my mailing address with them the night of the reveal, as I was making the $50 deposit. I've had a couple personal emails back and forth with one of their reps, fielding some basic questions about batteries, and one additional generic emailed promotional item that came in the...

Solar panels mounted on the Slate? Yes, we're reading each other's minds. There are lots of different ways that something like this could play out. Certainly more than could be put into a single post. I'll start with detailing how to charge the i-MiEV with (relatively) portable off-grid solar on...

The Aquion was a very unusual mostly water-based battery designed for grid storage, which is actually somewhat different from the sort of smaller format and more energy dense sodium ion cells that Chinese companies like CATL are building today. Before you mentioned it, I hadn't thought about...

Whatever works. I buy cars that are typically 2 to 3 years old, with the original buyer actually leasing it. And I like to hang onto them for a very long time. You say your Tesla is 12 years old? A Model S?

I haven't read through all 3 pages of posts on this thread yet, but I'm going to guess that not too many would have suggested a 100" (254cm) wheelbase 4-seat passenger car. Note, though, that the Ford Model T, the post-WWII Volkswagen Beetle and (have to mention it) the Mitsubishi i-MiEV I...

Yes, true. It's the EPA's test cycle. Just like with gasoline vehicles, it simulates a mix of city and highway driving. And the tabulated range number is based on the availability of a full pack. The EPA numbers are always more stringent (ie: less optimistic) than the European NEDC range...

Sodium is less energy dense than LFP and has a shorter lifespan. The main advantage over LFP is lower cost and better cold weather performance. It will undoubtedly get better over time and will probably make it's biggest impact with solar storage, more so than automotive. Likewise, I've been...

NiMH was an important battery chemistry in the late 1990s. It was the nominal replacenet for NiCad. NiMH cells from Ovonics are what was in the later production GM EV1s. The sad story of what happened next, as GM was crushing the cars, is detailed here . . ...

I've got a lot of Milwaukee battery stuff here. Hanging around the hardware or big box store and striking up conversations with contractors in the power tool isle, Milwaukee always comes to the top of the list as their big favorite. The section of different tools they make is also impressive...

And here's another, right here in Arizona. American Battery Factory (ABF) in Tucson will hopefully be coming online sometime in 2025. I think their initial product will be prismatic LFP cells for solar storage applications . . ...

The first email I sent to Slate was a question on battery chemistry. I, too, was hoping for LFP. But I wasn't too profoundly disappointed when it was made known that it would be NMC. We have to remember that the vehicle was developed in stealth mode beginning in 2023. The supply chain in North...

There are now portable power stations (LFP battery, inverter output, solar and/or AC charging options in a single box) that could fit this bill. The newest one from Bluetti (I own some of their units, but I'm not a professional endorser) is called the Apex 300. It's able to store about 2.7kWh on...

I've been driving a 16kWh battery car with an EPA rated range of 65 miles per charge for a decade now. 8 years after it was built (5 years into my used vehicle ownership experience,) the original pack began to fade in capacity. Since I was the 2nd owner - and traction battery warranties are...

Since I'm coming from the passenger car EV world (and a subcompact one at that,) I'm inclined to favor the lowered suspension. The side view pictures here were helpful for me determining this. I'm not after an exaggerated Low Rider aesthetic. But I also don't need built-in extra height for heavy...

Happy to be here. I made my Slate EV Truck reservation during the live reveal on April 24. For now, I'm opting for the basic grey panel finish, perhaps a few minor cosmetic flourishes to help me identify it in crowded parking lot and the bigger battery underneath. My current ride is a pearl...