Pixel Preet

NEWS: Kia has unveiled their most affordable EV for the U.S. market, the all-electric EV3. • Excepted starting price: $35,000-$38,000 • Deliveries start in U.S. late 2026 • Up to 320 miles of range • 58.3 kWh standard battery (~220 miles range) • 81.4 kWh long-range battery (up to ~320 miles range, FWD) • Simulated gear shifts and sound effects • 400V charging architecture • 10–80% charge in ~29 mins • Native NACS charging port • Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) & Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) capability • 26.1 cubic feet of cargo capacity in the trunk, with 0.9 more cu ft in the frunk. 56.5 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. • ~0.275 drag coefficient • Dual 12.3" screens (instrument cluster + infotainment), 5" climate display • Available AWD (dual motor) • Up to 288 hp • Available head-up display • Wireless phone charging • Adaptive cruise control Available hands-free driving capability (enhanced highway driving assist) • 170" long More photos in thread below:

✍️ New article: Battery costs have declined by 99% in the last three decades, making electrified transport a reality— Over 20 million electric cars were sold globally in 2025 — some for as little as $10,000. Even just two decades ago, that would have been impossible. The reason it's possible now? Batteries have gotten *much* cheaper. In 1991, lithium-ion battery cells cost around $9,200 per kilowatt-hour. By 2024, that had fallen to just $78 — a decline of more than 99%. You can see this in the chart. To put that in perspective: the battery cells in a standard electric car today cost around $5,000. In 1991, those same cells would have cost nearly $600,000. There was no single breakthrough behind this. Batteries follow a “learning curve”: as cumulative production grows, thousands of small improvements in chemistry, manufacturing, and supply chains drive prices down. Since 1998, every time global cumulative battery production doubled, the price dropped by roughly 19%. Early progress was driven by consumer electronics — phones and laptops — before the technology became viable for cars, buses, and larger energy storage. Energy density has also more than tripled since the 1990s, meaning batteries can now store far more energy for their volume. The half-a-million-dollar battery was never going to transform transport. The $5,000 battery is.

I don’t think people realize how affordable Teslas have gotten. A new Model Y is $530/month. (72 months)