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Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by simondotau on Sunday July 23, 2023 @08:17AM (#36834647)
You know what's extremely cheap to manufacture? A larger fuel tank. How many mainstream passenger cars are being sold with a >80L (>20 gal) fuel tank because prospective car buyers "are addicted to options that remove limitations out of anxiety"?

Americans are addicted to features, lifestyle and luxury (actual or perceived).

Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by Twirrim on Sunday July 23, 2023 @11:50AM (#36836452)
> You know what's extremely cheap to manufacture? A larger fuel tank. How many mainstream passenger cars are being sold with a >80L (>20 gal) fuel tank because prospective car buyers "are addicted to options that remove limitations out of anxiety"?

It takes mere minutes to refill a tank, and there are gas stations everywhere throughout the country. It's quick, and incredibly easy. Far faster than EVs, and far more common that EV charging stations.

As a result, there's really no value in tanks that are that much larger, there's no range anxiety because even going long distance cross-country you're never that far away from a place to refuel.

Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by SoftTalker on Sunday July 23, 2023 @12:52PM (#36837150)
There is value. One of my cars has a 20 gallon tank and it's nice to go a few extra days without refueling for regular commuting/around town driving, or having the option to go an extra couple of hundred miles on the highway on longer trips.
Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by simondotau on Monday July 24, 2023 @09:58AM (#36848099)
These mythical Toyota batteries can supposedly run 10 minute stops every 700 miles. That's already way beyond what any normal person could handle.

I'm comfortable doing long distances in one day and even I would be taking 20+ minute breaks every 300km (200mi) or so. The current state-of-the-art long range EVs are plenty good enough with range and charging speeds, assuming a reliable charging network.

Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by heavenlyblue on Sunday July 23, 2023 @12:52PM (#36837153)
Larger fuel tank makes the car heavier and thus less fuel efficient
Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by Detrytus on Sunday July 23, 2023 @01:42PM (#36837702)
Additonal 10 gallons of fuel is a rounding error to a typical car mass, its effect on fuel efficiency is not detectable without precise lab equipment. Certainly you're not going to notice that when paying for gas.
Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by silverpepsi on Tuesday July 25, 2023 @04:07AM (#36859378)
Well, I dunno if you've ever driven a performance car say around 420hp but having one extra passenger is absolutely noticable and undesirable, it really slows you down. 4 passengers in the car and it's no longer a fun drive. Not a rounding error as you can directly feel it.

I expect dragging around 120 lbs extra fuel for 100k miles does become noticable on the bank book, you'd be surprised.