Soon all electrical vehicles will have this same issue. You'll be spending $10K every 7-10 years replacing the battery, but you won't replace the vehicle itself.
You’ll be spending $10K every 7-10 years replacing the battery
They already last reliably more than ten years and should keep improving.
but you won’t replace the vehicle itself.
Why not? I just replaced my 7 year old vehicle with an EV. When I drove it again, it was really noticeable how the seats were worn, suspension loosened up, the rattles and squeaks, the dings and mars. The rest of the car ages too, plus technology keeps improving, so why would you expect people to keep EVs longer than they currently keep their vehicle?
If we're updating the autodrive hardware that often, it might be worth it to up cycle every few generations. But one or two battery replacements might be worth it.
I think eventually electric vehicles will vehicles networked and operated by a public / private partnership where the need of a private vehicle is greatly diminished. You would just callup a vehicle for pickup and set the destination. Depending on the vehicle plan you subscribe to, the vehicle might have other passengers or be a private vehicle driven by a AI pilot. This program would offset the cost of batteries, remove the need for large parking lots, and make travel far more efficient.
Probably 50 years from now, but joining say the COSTCO CAR CLUB or something really makes sense. Groceries delivered to your home as well as other shopping also makes sense. I see a future where owning a car is no longer required.
I leave the house like four times a month. Random times. Doctor appointments usually. Been thinking about getting a class 2 ebike. If my Costco membership got me access to a robocar? X miles a month per membership level? That'd be hella sweet.