EV management, mining, and medicine.

EV Marketplace Overview: Virtual or Physical Battery Dr. Visit?

I am often asked, " How do you value an EV and the battery?" The answer is two ways. One way allows you to predict the battery's state of health (SOH) using predictive algorithms. The other way you can know the battery's health is by talking to the battery. I equate it to a zoom doctor visit versus an actual doctor visit where you are poked, prodded, and diagnosed in person. The latter is a much better option for medical and battery health analyses. The actual operation of an EV and the battery is the most significant determinant of the battery's current SOH. Operating the EV and battery out of their normal safe operating area?leads to battery degradation. Even though batteries are equipped with a?battery management system (BMS), proper care of batteries is critical for the electric vehicle's long life and optimal performance. To learn more about best practice battery behavior, click HERE.

As shown here, if taken care of properly, an EV battery at 150,000kms or just shy of 100,000 miles is still rated at its optimal driving range. As dealers, it is our responsibility to know the condition of the vehicle and the battery to safeguard the acquisition, retail, and disposal of the EV vehicle. For you to understand the true heath of the largest asset in that EV, the battery, it must tell you how it feels, just like the patient in the doctor's office.

In the News: Tesla to refine in Texas.

Electric vehicle giant Tesla Inc. (TSLA) is reportedly planning to build a lithium refining factory in Texas. According to CNBC, in an application filed with the Texas Comptroller's Office, Tesla is seeking tax rebates to build a plant in the state. "The potential battery-grade lithium hydroxide refining facility, which Tesla touted as the first of its kind in North America, will process "raw ore material into a usable state for battery production," If the project is approved, Tesla says it could start construction in the fourth quarter of 2022, enabling it to reach commercial production by the end of 2024.

Did you know? You can perform surgery with your EV?

Automotive News and Forbes reported this week that a doctor had to plug into a Rivian to perform a vasectomy. A Texas urologist had planned to cancel his patient's procedure until a member of his staff joked that he should use his electric pickup as a power source. The doctor said, “the patient didn’t want to cancel because he had already asked for time off. The electrocautery was normal, and the procedure went great!”

The question is, what can't an EV do?

Happy Driving,

The EV Guy