As I have predicted several times in threads like this, the future of long distance electrics lies in "filling stations" where the battery is replaced by robots. It would resemble oil change places. You'd pull in and park over the robot, which would remove the battery from under your vehicle and replace it with a fully-charged one. You'd be billed for the difference in charge state ( a "half tank" of juice versus an empty, etc) and you'd be gone in a few minutes. To facilitate this, there'd be only two or three standardized battery sizes, and vehicles would be designed to facilitate the process. The exchanged ones would be charged at the station and stored for their next use.
You'd only plug in when at home or in town.
I can see at least one enormous problem with that theory. I'm not sure I want my high quality OEM battery replaced with a who-knows-where-it-came-from low-bid chinkapoo special every time I take a trip.
Another problem, while I'm at it. I was reading the other day that a root cause of many of the utility scale LiOn battery fires in Korea is degradation resulting from cycling those babies all the way between 0 and 100% charge daily. Even if they give you a quality made battery, you have no idea how it has been cycled until you come out of Starbucks to watch your car burn to the ground.
Constantly swapping out the most critical part of my $80K Tesla? No thank you.
