Empty battery in an electric car? Now comes the mobile power bank

adminonMay 18, 2022February 11, 2022Leave a Comment

In the early 1990s, the aral TV commercial "I’m walking," featuring a broken-down driver running to the gas station with an empty spare can, became an advertising legend. But what if you get stuck on the track with your electric car??

When the battery no longer emits any sound, the displays remain dark and the new electric car no longer rolls a meter toward its destination, you don’t have many options left. The easiest way is to call the service department of the car manufacturer or an automobile club and have the car towed to the place of breakdown. However, a jumper cable like the one used in an internal combustion engine is not enough, because the battery not only has to be charged briefly and the alternator takes over the rest as a generator, but the battery pack also has to be charged significantly.

What to do when the battery is empty?

By the way, when your electric car stops twitching, it doesn’t mean that the battery has completely run down. In fact, the intelligent charging technology of the batteries ensures that the cells retain a small energy content of five to ten percent so that there is no real deep discharge, which could be expensive.

An electricity storage van serves as a mobile reserve canister for A-cars

But the battery technology also prevents you from continuing to drive with the remaining percent in the battery. In this respect, the display in the instrument cluster, regardless of whether it shows the remaining range or the percentage, does not show the real battery capacity, but rather the capacity that the driver can still use in real terms. The bottom line, however, is that you have broken down and now have to get on the trailer or the van, because there is no other way to tow an electric car. The short drive takes you to the contract trailer or to the next fast-charging station – and after the overdue vitamin injection, you hopefully continue to your destination.

Charging an e-motorcycle to 85 percent in 15 minutes: this is how it will soon work

Empty battery in an electric car? Now comes the mobile power bank

USA shows the way

Another option is mobile recharging services, which are not as widespread in Europe as they are in the USA. Here, these have a long tradition, since there have been companies for a long time that came to refill the fuel tank when it was empty. In the U.S. in particular, anyone who is annoyed by having to drive to a gas station can call a fueling service and they will fill their vehicle with the desired fuel without having to lift a finger. The situation is similar for recharging on order.

Mobile recharging: When the e-car runs out of juice, a mobile recharging vehicle arrives from Etree

Companies like etree offer a service that charges your own electric car at the place of your choice. The service vehicles are equipped with energy storage and fast charging technology for this purpose. The service itself can be requested at any time via app or phone call. Practical: the etree app should be able to safely open the charging flap of the electric vehicle to enable charging service without the vehicle user being present.

The mobile rechargers also run on electricity

The service vehicles themselves are not only electrically powered, but also extremely compact, so that they can be used anywhere. Thanks to a manageable width of just 1.40 meters, the models with their various charging ports can be parked even on narrow sidewalks to bring the empty electric car back to life. Recharging is possible with up to 150 kW with all standard plugs. BMW has since discontinued its own mobile recharging service, which was developed especially for the i3, and most other manufacturers refer to the services offered under their mobility guarantees alone when the battery is empty.

electric cars 2021 (display)

All electric car and plug-in hybrid models at a glance

The situation is different at the Chinese electric pioneer nio. Here the empty battery can be changed not only at one of the stations. If one of the nio models runs out of power, the service comes to the rescue. With one click in the nio app, the power mobile service vehicle comes to you and charges the car on the spot. Up to 100 kilometers in ten minutes.

electric BMW range check: that’s how far the ix3 e-sUV really goes

a different approach is taken by the american company spark charge, which offers mobile recharging devices called "roadie. The 23-kilogram charging package finds its place at home charged either in the trunk or at the vacation home without an external power connection. Several packages can be connected together on request, and your own electric car can be charged up for the next 20 kilometers in 15 minutes via CCS or chademo plugs. If you don’t want to do the whole thing yourself, you can also have your electric car refueled by the spark charge service called "currently" at your doorstep while you’re shopping or at the restaurant – for 25 U.S. dollars. At launch, this service is available at least in the U.S. metropolitan areas of los angeles, san francisco, dallas and san jose – with other regions to follow. "spark charge started in a dorm room and has grown into a leading company," josh aviv says, "when the roadie was ready for the market, there was a huge consumer demand for a mobile charger. So we created the world’s first and only mobile charging network. With this smartphone app, electric car drivers can order delivery directly to their car."

Ordering battery power via app

A similar service has been offered by the company lightning systems for about a year now. the u.s. developer of zero-emission propulsion systems now offers lightning mobile, a mobile dc fast charger for electric vehicles. So far, lightning systems has converted vehicles such as the ford E-450 or an isuzu FTR from internal combustion engines to electric drives. now the company from loveland / colorado goes one step further and has built a ford transit with liquid cooled dc battery storage. The 184-kwh battery pack can be installed in almost any van or trailer for mobile use. Fleet customers in particular can have the empty battery packs of their vehicles recharged at the roadside. "any fleet of electric utility vehicles will benefit from mobile fast charging", says tim reeser, CEO of lightning systems, "uptime is the be-all and end-all for fleets. While operators plan the deployment of vehicles so that they are charged at depots, there is always the possibility that a vehicle will need to be charged at another location or en route. There is also often a need for DC fast charging in places or at times that are not permitted or where demand does not permit fast charging directly from the grid."

Battery technology in electric cars is improving all the time. That’s why prices for old e-models are in free fall. This is also a problem for buyers of new cars.

Electric cars are booming, but almost no one wants used cars

Electric cars are booming, but almost no one wants occasions.

Because the performance of the batteries decreases with use, while newer models have much better batteries inside.

But there are long waiting times for new cars due to delivery problems.

Electric cars are booming, but there are long waiting times for new cars.

But almost no one wants an electric car.

Due to battery wear and tear and technological change, occasion prices are in free fall.

The expert therefore advises against buying electric cars.

Electric cars are booming. e-car pioneer tesla delivers more vehicles than ever before despite chip crisis. Electrification is also making progress in switzerland. The share of e-cars in new registrations has increased fivefold in the space of two years.

New cars are the most popular. But there are long waiting times for them, depending on the model, due to delivery problems. Almost no one wants a used car. Of the people who would like to buy an electric car, only one in three can imagine buying a used car, according to a survey conducted by the German opinion research institute Civey on behalf of "automobilwoche".

Battery problems with old models

Because electric cars lose a lot of their value after just a few years, as the survey shows. The main reason cited by the participants is the loss of power in the electric battery. Their performance decreases sharply over several years, just like that of a cell phone. In addition, changes in technology are leading to better and better batteries in the new models.

In switzerland, the survey would be similar, says jan schenker of car for you to 20 minuten. "when it comes to used electric cars, it’s mainly the younger models that are interesting, older electric cars with older technology tend to have a hard time," says schenker.

"prices are in free fall"

Used electric cars therefore lose value quickly. "residual values are in free fall," Munich-based market observer berylls tells "moove" magazine. Economist johannes von mandach from the BAK economics research institute in Basel also says: "the loss in value is a big problem, people are stuck with the cars because demand is restrained."

This is also difficult for buyers of new cars. "you don’t know how the prices for occasional cars will develop in the future," says von mandach. There is still too little data for a reliable forecast for the relatively young occasion market.

BMW i3 or renault zoe bring losses

German car expert ferdinand dudenhoffer from the center automotive research at the university of duisburg-essen also says: "electric cars run the risk of becoming lemons in the used car market if they are not subsidized by the state, as they are in germany."in neighboring countries, the state pays up to 40 percent of the purchase price. In switzerland, only a few cantons offer the possibility of a tax deduction (see box).

In germany, buyers of electric cars receive a premium on the sales price to promote electromobility. In Switzerland, however, there is the possibility of a tax deduction, the amount of which varies from canton to canton. Moreover, in some cantons there are permanent deductions, while in Bern, for example, this is only possible for the first three years. Exceptions are the cantons of wallis, ticino, thurgau, schaffhausen and basel-city, which also subsidize the purchase, according to a request to the TCS, which lists the deductions in a PDF file. The website energiefranken.Ch shows the tax relief according to the place of residence.

Dudenhoffer therefore recommends thinking carefully about whether you should really buy the e-car. "I recommend a leasing or subscription model so that you don’t run the risk of having to sell the e-car at a loss later on."

Only a few models on the market, such as the mercedes EQA or new teslas, are still in high demand. Older cars, such as the BMW i3 or the renault zoe, would not have the latest battery technology and could therefore lose out on resale.

As a member, you become part of the 20-minute community and benefit daily from great benefits and exclusive contests!

It can happen so fast. One evening the car was still running, the next morning it no longer starts. The breakdown service recognizes the defective timing belt, the repair shop declares that the engine is gone. The result: a total loss and of course a new vehicle must be found quickly. If you are dependent on the car, you can no longer postpone the purchase. But how can you buy a new car as quickly as possible??

If your car suddenly breaks down and you need a new one fast: what to do?? Source: @ A.L. / unsplash.Com

Find good offers online

Buying a new car today is also a strength of the internet. The advantage is that searchers can quickly find a wide variety of offers without having to go through the hassle of buying a lot of newspapers. There are usually a number of providers online:

Private seller – they have also discovered the internet for themselves. Often enough a real bargain can be made when buying from private individuals, but there are also disadvantages. These occur especially when one has little knowledge of vehicles and can not recognize damage or defects.

Dealers – they have been posting their offers online for a long time. Especially on the well-known vehicle exchanges – similar to real estate exchanges – dealer offers can be found. The advantage: these vehicles are at least professionally inspected, and dealers are also subject to a more extensive warranty right.

Portals – they bring together the various offers, although there are of course also portals that specifically buy cars from private individuals and offer them online.

A little annoying is that often the same car can be found on several sites. But the searchers get a quick overview and can make appointments with several people in no time. in addition, they can get an overview of prices online and now have a better idea of how much a car may cost on the spot.

Fast financing: no longer a problem

A quick car purchase was once often hampered by the fact that the savings account did not have enough money and the banks simply did not offer a quick loan commitment. That has changed massively today:

Dealer financing – even used car dealers today work together with credit companies and offer good financing options.

Online – especially on the internet there are the so-called express loans. In fact, they are ordinary financing, but they offer loans with fast payments. The application, even the deposit of collateral or the income information, the sending of the credit contracts – all this is done online. Even signing the contract is done over the Internet. Thus already the post office ways are omitted and the credit can be paid out really in up to two days. By express transfer the money is also still in real time on the account.

Despite all the options, car buyers should still look carefully and compare the providers with each other. When buying a car, taking out a loan on your own often has the advantage that dealers will give you a discount on the cash payment. And when buying privately? Here, it is always important to ensure that money is never handed over without a proper and correct receipt. Cash payments cannot be proven without a receipt, which can cause real trouble later on.

In spite of the hurry: check used cars carefully

If you are really dependent on your car and are in a time crunch, you would often prefer to go and buy the first car that comes along. Provided it has an engine, four wheels, seat and steering wheel, everything is in order. Unfortunately, this approach is the practical way to disaster, especially if the car is bought privately. Used cars should always be checked carefully. Basically, it is recommended to take a relatively car affine person with you for the first look. Otherwise applies:

Test drive – without a test drive you should never buy a car. Even laymen can already recognize some problems here. If the clutch engages much too late? Does the steering seem spongy? Are there strange noises? In addition, the test drive offers the opportunity for the next point.

Check – it is always a good idea to have the used car checked by an independent garage. Of course, the check costs a certain amount, but if something is found, the purchase price can be reduced accordingly. If there are no defects, the buyer at least knows that the vehicle is in order.

Inquiries – in general you should ask carefully. Have there ever been any major repairs, damage or even an accident? Did inspections take place? If the car has been serviced regularly? Many points can be traced through the checkbook.

Demand receipts – of course a pre-damage or even an accidental damage is not tragic – if it was repaired correctly. Car buyers should always ask for the workshop invoices and have them handed over with the purchase. If the seller refuses, be careful. Of course, the car may have been professionally repaired under the hand, but perhaps no professional repair took place. At this point, the inspection by a workshop is indispensable.

Buying a used car is not easy for most people. It is already required prior knowledge to be able to recognize problems independently. even if it is urgent, the purchase should be compared to buying a property: would you buy an older house off the street without a surveyor or other expert?

With official dealers, the situation is a little different, as customers have more rights than with private individuals. Nevertheless, it is better to look than to buy blindly. Because rights also only say that they are there. But if the car breaks in two after a few kilometers, the buyer is left empty-handed again, despite his rights.

If the seller now also still quarrels, it may take a court case until an agreement was forced. Therefore: never alone, always with check and never without receipts and vouchers.

Even with a quick car purchase, certain things should be considered. Source: @ teddy osterbloom / unsplash.Com

Conclusion – there are fixed solutions

on the financial side there are certainly very good and quick solutions that allow the quick car purchase. It is important that buyers never get carried away with the hustle and bustle, but always take a close look at what they are buying. With new cars this is less tragic, as the car should not have any defects. In the case of used cars, however, a single inquiry can decide whether the journey leads to work or to the workshop.