I'm speculating that the challenge of fitting a battery of sufficient capacity inside a Prius will eventually be met with structural batteries: Battery improvements have been incremental and small, therefore I think it will be a long time before we see batteries with a similar energy density equivalent to combustible fuels.
agreed, there are millions of ideas, lots of r&d, and still, progress is snail like. i don't expect a miracle. but when you consider how far we've come in a short time, i'm optimistic
My understanding is one of the Toyota EVs sold in China is mounted under to cabin floor. This expands the area and volume considerably . . . just like all the serious EVs made in the past 10-15 years. Not only does this improve center of gravity but also safety as it keeps a failing battery somewhat away from the humans. IF I were to make my own EV, I would start with a Prius body for low drag and reasonable volume: Gut all ICE parts but keep the transaxle and power electronics Supersized LEGO battery modules top-to-bottom staggered offset Isolated, parallel, or serial DC buss liquid coolant pipe 50 VDC nominal voltage dual power over ethernet loops The oversized, independently operable LEGO style battery modules are assembled into any shape needed: Engine shaped Exhaust converter and muffler shaped Fuel tank shaped The 2-3 kW heat-pump has a condenser radiator and liquid coolant manifold for the cabin, transaxle, inverter, and battery assemblies. It automatically routes hot or cold to where it is needed by any part of the vehicle. Two Linux computers would run "Open Source" control software. Mechanical doors and latches but everything else electronic. Owner provides cell phone(s) with Bluetooth to Linux computers and cell service to "home." Overlapping cameras covering 360 degrees. Of course this is pure fantasy as no one makes any money. Bob Wilson
