So both Rivian and Tesla have or say they are going to have range extenders for their trucks, but in both cases even if they are removable and rentable they are huge as trucks are huge. In teslas case it seems to be a permanent change though.
What about commuter cars though?
One thing we really need is cheaper in city commuters and those don’t need a long range. That brings costs down and gets more people into EVs, but those will get relegated to 2nd cars in many cases.
If those commuter cars could go to a shop and get an extender added in the trunk though that would make them much more capable of longer trips as well while keeping costs down.
If the battery rental is similar or less to renting a car for the same period then people would opt to use their own car for the longer trip and all the personal comforts that provides.
The batteries would be much smaller as well for a smaller vehicle.
All the extra hardware required to make that work and the time and cost of installing and removing the extra battery pack means it’ll probably never cost less than just hiring a longer range vehicle for the weekend. People who really need the range wouldn’t bother, they’d just buy a longer range vehicle in the first place. Or one with the extra battery pre-installed and never remove it.
Not to mention that battery prices are continuing to plummet - we’re quickly approaching the point where cars are just coming with as many batteries as they can easily fit. Short range EVs are likely not going to be a thing in a few more years when it doesn’t cost significantly more to make a longer range EV.