Anyway, as I look 5 years down the road at where say Ford is with their electric cars & self-driving abilities...I mean...meh. I think Tesla stock is going to hit $500 easily.
Problem?That wouldn't work for adding range as the pack voltages need to match. Model S uses 23ish volt packs. You drive in with the battery at 25%, say 18V per module and try to dump a 25V pack in there it will want to even out the voltages....quickly
Cathy's new target is $6,000 a share, up from $4,000. I'm not as bullish as her. When I did my back of the napkin math, I came up with price target of around $2,000 in about 10 years.ARK Invest predicts $4,000 a share in best scenario.
The biggest mistake people make is to consider Tesla a car only company where in fact they are much, much more (AI, self-driving, energy storage, solar, software, power banks, etc)
Check up ARK Invest and see for yourself.
The biggest mistake people make is to consider Tesla a car only company where in fact they are much, much more (AI, self-driving, energy storage, solar, software, power banks, etc)
Cells can only be discharged and charged at a max rate else you can damage them. I'm no EE, but i'd expect the higher voltage pack to dump into the lower modules instantly. I'm not sure if they could handle the current inrush. So let's just say it can take the juice. The current modules bolt into a main busbar, that obviously wouldn't work. Shouldn't be hard to get a quick connector for it, but you'd probably want to use a high voltage contactor to dis/connect it from the main back, so extra cost there. Cooling lines can be done with dry break hoses, but those aren't cheap. The replacement pack would need to be crash worth, more money. You also have the issue with pack degradation either with the main or replacement pack. One is going to have to work harder than the other if the degradation isn't the same. Seems like it would be better for and all or nothing approachProblem?
I guess there's just no way they could engineer an intelligent power distribution hub that doesn't just short the packs together.Cells can only be discharged and charged at a max rate else you can damage them. I'm no EE, but i'd expect the higher voltage pack to dump into the lower modules instantly. I'm not sure if they could handle the current inrush. So let's just say it can take the juice. The current modules bolt into a main busbar, that obviously wouldn't work. Shouldn't be hard to get a quick connector for it, but you'd probably want to use a high voltage contactor to dis/connect it from the main back, so extra cost there. Cooling lines can be done with dry break hoses, but those aren't cheap. The replacement pack would need to be crash worth, more money. You also have the issue with pack degradation either with the main or replacement pack. One is going to have to work harder than the other if the degradation isn't the same. Seems like it would be better for and all or nothing approach
Like others have said, would it even be worth it? Say you have a 60kwh pack. drive it to 20kwh and remove the replacement pack. You are left with 13kwh? You add back a fresh 20kwh pack to get you back up to 33kw. When you stopped you could do 80miles @ 4mi/kwh when you leave you can do 132mi. Our Bolt can do 50kwh charging when the pack is below 50% so to get that range at a dc fast charger it would take like 15-20 mins. And 50kw is about the slowest dc charging out there.
I guess there's just no way they could engineer an intelligent power distribution hub that doesn't just short the packs together.
Come on now. That was never an actual reason not to engineer this.
Why would anyone start paying more for the pack swaps if they haven't discharged the built-in pack first? Heck, the car could disallow swaps until the built-in primary battery is discharged to a certain point, but there's really no reason for that even. Just engineer it to access the battery systems selectively. Cost increase should be insignificant compared to the convenience of quick-swapping, which would enable cross-continent road trips with no significant time spent at stations.Cells can only be discharged and charged at a max rate else you can damage them. I'm no EE, but i'd expect the higher voltage pack to dump into the lower modules instantly. I'm not sure if they could handle the current inrush. So let's just say it can take the juice. The current modules bolt into a main busbar, that obviously wouldn't work. Shouldn't be hard to get a quick connector for it, but you'd probably want to use a high voltage contactor to dis/connect it from the main back, so extra cost there. Cooling lines can be done with dry break hoses, but those aren't cheap. The replacement pack would need to be crash worth, more money. You also have the issue with pack degradation either with the main or replacement pack. One is going to have to work harder than the other if the degradation isn't the same. Seems like it would be better for and all or nothing approach
Like others have said, would it even be worth it? Say you have a 60kwh pack. drive it to 20kwh and remove the replacement pack. You are left with 13kwh? You add back a fresh 20kwh pack to get you back up to 33kw. When you stopped you could do 80miles @ 4mi/kwh when you leave you can do 132mi. Our Bolt can do 50kwh charging when the pack is below 50% so to get that range at a dc fast charger it would take like 15-20 mins. And 50kw is about the slowest dc charging out there.
Which is why i said, just say it can do it. That's probably one of the easiest hurdles, but you are now adding even more cost. What exactly is the benefit?
No significant time spent at stations, even for cross-continent trips.
Tesla already designed and engineered a system they never put to use where you just pulled in and robotic tools would laser-align themselves with the bottom of your car to remove all the bolts at once and drop the battery out for a quick swap...
...and that was for batteries that weren't even designed for this.
All the concerns about extra cost and engineering to essentially design the car better with this in mind are essentially moot. Drop the cooling system with the battery as one module. The secondary battery that remains in the car could be getting a 5-15 minute supercharging boost while the other pack is exchanged and then you are sent on your way. The secondary battery would then be a buffer that allows you to completely drain the swapable battery before the next exchange. Of course, your car would INSIST that you "change now" once the swappable battery depletes... like, IMMEDIATELY.
With intelligent power distribution it could even start siphoning the remainder of the swappable battery pack's power into the secondary battery as you approached the next exchange so that you get maximum benefit from the swap without having to completely exhaust the range.
To me, a dual-battery system with 2/3rds of the range inside a quick-swappable battery pack with a nation-wide network of swapping stations and a plan/membership is the best way to go and it would help justify expanding the supercharging network.
For other EVs from traditional manufacturers, it'd be nice if every dealership was also a 24hr automated swap station unless they could cooperate enough to build a multi-make swap station within a certain radius to service vehicles from multiple nearby dealers. Instant network if the manufacturers could force that on their dealerships.
Yeah. Households where one person works a night shift and they share a car might have some trouble unless one of the users can charge at work, but the overnight top-off is guaranteed for most people with a garage and 220v.I think part of it is the build-out. A modern Tesla SuperCharging station can offer multiple stalls, powered by SolarCity's panels, and storing excess power in Tesla's Powerwall batteries. The automated system is cool, but up until like a year ago, we only had one pair of charging stations in my entire state. And even a year later, my buddy's Tesla Model 3 just got bricked by an update & he has to wait TWO WEEKS for a tech to visit him & reinstall the software.
And as mentioned above, in practice, it's not really a big deal for all but a select few people who extensively drive really long commutes on a daily basis, because your body needs to take breaks from time to time to use the bathroom & get some circulation going. When I first got intrigued by the idea of EV's, I decided I wasn't going to get one until they had at least a 500-mile battery, because I didn't want to have to compromise. However, now that batteries are hitting the 200 to 300-mile range & now that I have many friends who have electric cars, I've changed my mind, for several reasons:
1. You need breaks during driving, so charging (specifically Supercharging, especially with the v3 chargers on the Model 3's, which have the quick-charge feature) isn't really a big deal
2. You have to sleep at night, so your car literally gets topped off every. single. night.
3. The average American commutes something like 24 miles a day. Even for people with really long commutes, a 310-mile long-range Model 3 with nightly charging covers a distance of 150 miles for a round-trip total of 300 miles. Not many people drive 5 hours a day, every day.
So I had to kind of break through my monolithic view & accept a more reasonable approach to electrics. I think we're at a good foundation now...although I'd still be more comfortable with a 400 or 500 or even 600-mile range, in practice, the current 300-mile range is very usable in nearly all common situations.
But yeah, it'd be wicked cool to drive up & do a battery swap in like 5 minutes & be off & running with a full charge with no effort. That would literally be a game-changer for electric vehicles, especially if you didn't even have to get out of your car...full-service automatic robotic battery swap. Keep a shed of a dozen batteries & a pair of swap stations, and between the recharge times for pulled batteries & the swap time for fresh batteries, you'd never really have a very long wait at most stations. I could see it being done eventually, unless they crack the ultra-fast-charge battery thing with graphene or something.
Remember: "Range" without a charge/swap is effectively half, and you wouldn't realistically want to push that. So: less than 2.5 hours of driving to your destination where you presumably will have a break from driving, then less than 2.5 hours back.The thing is, in practice, humans still need bathroom breaks & time to stretch their legs & get snacks & drinks on trips. The current Model S has a 370-mile range. At 75 MPH, that's 5 straight hours of driving. Unless you hate your bladder & don't believe in physical activity, you should definitely stop for a potty break & to talk a quick walk within that timeframe, haha!
Yeah. Households where one person works a night shift and they share a car might have some trouble unless one of the users can charge at work, but the overnight top-off is guaranteed for most people with a garage and 220v.
Still, the consideration that expensive batteries wear out is a huge reason why EVs have such poor resale value. If the primary battery were not the users' concern due to a battery sharing system/service I think it would go a long way toward helping them retain value like a normal car and would also promote more acceptance. I could see fleet vehicles adopting it more readily for obvious reasons too.
There's probably some major consideration I'm missing but imagine if every junked EV had their battery yanked, refurbished, and put into circulation with a system like this.
Remember: "Range" without a charge/swap is effectively half, and you wouldn't realistically want to push that. So: less than 2.5 hours of driving to your destination where you presumably will have a break from driving, then less than 2.5 hours back.
A standard fill up at a gas station gives you a break from driving too, just a significantly shorter one than a supercharge. Still, it can be enough for some and I can see half-hour breaks being a burden if you were under any time pressure. You lose the flexibility of "gas and go" without a break when you might need it.
In the case where a portion of the full battery would be swapped it also wouldn't restore the full range. That means it wouldn't be another 5 hours between stops in that scenario either. It just means you won't be forced to take lengthy stops every when your battery demands it. You can even get a quick change when you were just pulling over for a bite to eat or to use the restroom. If anything, it frees you up for more frequent breaks.
Frozen Yogurt and Electric Rollercoasters for employees for not unioning:
Get a Volt?OK, so now that I actually tried to get one, I see how all their bullshit adds up:
The basic tesla is 35 thousand dollars.
If you want a battery and an engine, you pay 3990.
And a destination fee.
1125 dollars.
Thats to the dealer. They dont actually deliver to your house, contrary to what I was told at the Tysons Corner dealership.
There is also something called an Acquisition Fee, AND a Disposition Fee.
I seriously dont think I should have to pay both of those.
And its the same for a lease or buy, the only difference is monthly payments and whether you get to keep the stupid thing at the end.
If this is what Elon Musk thinks 35 thousand dollars is, then he's clearly disconnected from reality which is the problem with being a billionaire.
Guess I'll be looking at the Nissan Leaf. Either way, I'm so fed up with buying gas every week at 50 dollars a tank.
Guess I'll be looking at the Nissan Leaf. Either way, I'm so fed up with buying gas every week at 50 dollars a tank.
Guess I'll be looking at the Nissan Leaf. Either way, I'm so fed up with buying gas every week at 50 dollars a tank.