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Originally Posted by David70
Not sure any buyer cares about the details or the manufacturer even tries to sell it to anyone but the hardcore enthusiast.
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It will also show up on the spec sheet since a smaller battery can obviously be charged faster than a larger one (charging tech being equal - another area commanding a large portion of battery vehicle R&D). That's going to become an even bigger factor as charging times approach "reasonable" - sub-15 minutes for a full-ish charge.
For the enthusiast, it shows up in a lower vehicle weight. Sure, in the current state of evolution, electric vehicles aren't light to begin with, but as time goes on we are going to see weight-optimized electric cars for enthusiasts and efficiency will be an important part of that.
And again, like I say, everything in the drivetrain has already become very commoditized. Everyone is dipping into the same supplier pool for electronics, transmission, fuel systems, turbochargers, etc., and while engine block and heads (and a few other parts) are still made in house, the results are becoming less and less differentiated. So, the lack of competitive advantage in this area you cite isn't new - it has been slowly occurring over the past few decades as increasing regulatory concerns mount and weed out the solutions that aren't cost-competitive. By and large, we have already entered a period of ICE development dormancy, and the automakers are resting on what they've established as brand values over their history. The lion's share of R&D is now going into electric vehicle development.
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You are correct, many don't care about any of these things which is my point, luxury manufacturers need you get you to buy into the Sales/Marketing as the substance gets closer and closer but BMW tries to sell at a premium. Some part of the buyers leave as the substance can be differentiated.
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If BMW and Cadillac swapped 2.0T powertrains, you would apparently head straight to a Cadillac dealership, but I think you might be surprised by how few people you'd find following close behind.
Now, give Cadillac an electric drivetrain with a 350 miles of range and sub-15 minute to-80% charge times, and let's see if that gets attention. Of course BMW is gunning for the same thing, but GM is ahead if what we have heard about their new platform is true. Will this be enough to put in the dent in the market share? Maybe not soon. But if they are able to establish and retain at least some of that advantage as EV sales start to become significant late in the decade? We'll see.
At any rate, to me there is potential for a lot more of substance to sell on than you have used to calculate your current position on the matter. I've tried to provide some factors to think about. We'll know in a few years as EV sales reach a significant enough volume to start to play a role in the market position of traditional automakers relative to one another. In my estimation, worst case is that today's already staid status quo is essentially maintained. Best case, some of the potential areas for gaining an advantage become realized, and we have a far more interesting contest to watch.