[TGower]

A few tradeoffs you might not be considering:

EV battery packs operate at voltages that are seriously hazardous. Consumers coming anywhere near those plugs is a non-starter, so even more bulk, weight, and complexity would need to be added to make the installation process foolproof.

Waterproofing is critical, the mechanism has to work flawlessly over insertion/removal cycles to keep a watertight seal.

[zhyder]

Great points. Re safety, I wasn't imagining the consumer doing it themselves but some robot like ones imagined for whole-battery swapping (e.g. https://youtu.be/Oj6LaYFall4); I think any battery swapping only makes sense for batteries you rent rather than own.

[appointment]

What does "imagined" mean? Nio has been doing automatic battery swaps on a mass scale for years.

[542354234235]

Also, you lose the ability to mold your battery along the bottom of the car, using dead space and keeping the center of gravity low. Gas tanks aren't even boxes, they are molded to fit around other parts with no dead space. So, add that space efficiency loss to all the additional space needed for access panels, installation foolproofing, additional waterproofing, etc.