Meet the Ultium Drive Family, the Interchangeable Powerplant Lineup for the Next Generation of GM Electric Vehicles

But you still have a lot of parts that make contact with each other, trapped inside a box that is not rigid. Most squeaks and rattles aren't the suspension and the engine, they're the dashboard and trim and stuff inside the doors, etc. The interior on my Cadillacs is very complicated with a lot more parts than a modern car. It was built with a level of manual adjustment/fettling that would make even a Tesla hater impressed. Then you get wind noise which is a harder problem to solve. 

It's definitely a problem that the "drop in a big block with a couple of glasspacks" builder doesn't have to deal with. It'll take some good attention to detail to get it all figured out. And emissions regs will definitely be a factor, engine swaps in California are a PITA for anything that's built after the early 70s. 

After all this, I still have to wonder, when EV's are the majority of vehicles, where are we going to get the power to charge off of them. Our current electric grids are just barely managing to keep up with the demand currently, add in a couple million EV's and you have, wait for it, Gridlock !!

No. Do some research.

Here's some from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, paraphrased on a quality science/tech site because the original article is behind a paywall: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2018/01/how-many-electric-cars-can-the-grid-take-depends-on-your-neighborhood/. Short version: until we get to 25% of the fleet as electric, it's not a problem overall. Before we get there, there will have to be some changes. But that's going to take a little while, so we have time.

A big part of the effect comes from WHEN EVs charge. They tend to balance off peak power usage pretty nicely, being most likely to charge overnight. Yes, here comes the imaginary scenario of every EV going on a Cannonball Run recreation all at the same time - but really, that's not the normal use case. 

Also, it's possible for the EVs to coordinate their charging times. Your phone already does some smart charging based on your daily behavior, the cars can network and spread out the load if necessary.

Javelin (Forum Supporter) said:

I'm so torn about this. On the one hand, the one thing GM does really well is powertrains (SBC, BBC, LS, LT, Ecotec, etc, etc). On the other hand, GM has a sordid history with anything remotely electric-drive related (EV-1, "mild hybrid" SUV's, Volt/Bolt, etc). I'd also like to point out that at this point the Tesla Model S has been out for 9 model years (12-21). By the time these GM's hit the road it will be what, 24? 25?

Dude the EV1 was great, the Volt and Bolt are great (hey I drove my Bolt again today!) so I am not sure what you're on about there.

Keith Tanner said:

Here's some from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, paraphrased on a quality science/tech site because the original article is behind a paywall: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2018/01/how-many-electric-cars-can-the-grid-take-depends-on-your-neighborhood/. Short version: until we get to 25% of the fleet as electric, it's not a problem overall. Before we get there, there will have to be some changes. But that's going to take a little while, so we have time.

A big part of the effect comes from WHEN EVs charge. They tend to balance off peak power usage pretty nicely, being most likely to charge overnight. Yes, here comes the imaginary scenario of every EV going on a Cannonball Run recreation all at the same time - but really, that's not the normal use case. 

Also, it's possible for the EVs to coordinate their charging times. Your phone already does some smart charging based on your daily behavior, the cars can network and spread out the load if necessary.

I am not sure if this article delves into the subject much, but one other aspect reinforcing the probability that our grid will likely suffice is that people don't use as much of the car as they tend to buy. They may buy a 300 mile range EV, or a 500 mile range EV, but most will charge only 20-40 miles of that giant battery each day.

yep, sign me up for the crate motor version!

It seems like it would be easy to adapt a tube-frame chassis to an EV powerplant and battery pack.  Who will be the first kit-car manufacturer to bring an EV replicar to market?  What classics would you like to see an EV kit car of?

tuna55 said:

Keith Tanner said:

Here's some from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, paraphrased on a quality science/tech site because the original article is behind a paywall: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2018/01/how-many-electric-cars-can-the-grid-take-depends-on-your-neighborhood/. Short version: until we get to 25% of the fleet as electric, it's not a problem overall. Before we get there, there will have to be some changes. But that's going to take a little while, so we have time.

A big part of the effect comes from WHEN EVs charge. They tend to balance off peak power usage pretty nicely, being most likely to charge overnight. Yes, here comes the imaginary scenario of every EV going on a Cannonball Run recreation all at the same time - but really, that's not the normal use case. 

Also, it's possible for the EVs to coordinate their charging times. Your phone already does some smart charging based on your daily behavior, the cars can network and spread out the load if necessary.

I am not sure if this article delves into the subject much, but one other aspect reinforcing the probability that our grid will likely suffice is that people don't use as much of the car as they tend to buy. They may buy a 300 mile range EV, or a 500 mile range EV, but most will charge only 20-40 miles of that giant battery each day.

True. Imagine if every ICE started using a full tank of fuel every day, the gasoline distribution infrastructure would probably suffer pretty badly.

EVs will only replenish the amount of energy they used that day, but they'll do it every day instead in big chunks.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I'm gonna have to disagree with your thoughts on sound and character having no place outside the ragged edge. Even the dullest daily commute can be completely transformed by a quick application of the loud petal up an on-ramp or leaving a stop light. Eventually, we'll get my wife an EV SUV once they iron out the self driving, but I'll never replace my S85, MA1, or Voodoo. The sound of one of them firing to life early in the morning is more than worth it, let alone the sound over 7,000rpm at a track day.