The swap will cost between $60 & $80[1].
[1] http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/us-tesla-swap-idUS...
Battery Swap [video]
51–60 of 178 posts
Re: Battery Swap [video]
#52Better Place has been trying to do the same in Israel and Denmark, and is looking to expand into the US eventually:
http://www.wbur.org/npr/159355676/dont-charge-that-electric-...
Re: Battery Swap [video]
#53To me, the most surprising part is: Holy fuck, Audi's have huge petrol tanks! I usually fill up my reasonably priced car in like a minute or so and it gets a range of some 700 kilometers on a ~40 liter gas tank. 5 minutes for a petrol stop? That's insane.
Likewise, I get 700 miles (~1100km) from a 10 imperial gallon (45l) tank. With that said, it's not sensible to compare a modern european small car with the average US car. Particularly the class of car that the Model S is competing with (which are typically expensive, have a high capacity and relatively inefficient engine, and luxury interior).
If filling up your tank takes 2 minutes (1 minute filling + 1 minute overhead), you can tank 350 miles per minute. The Tesla S gets 265 miles in 1.5 minutes, which is 175 miles per minute. So your car can be refilled twice as fast as the Tesla S when measured in miles. Furthermore, you need to recharge the Tesla more often.
At least, Elon is honest about it and says "this is about convincing the people that are skeptics". (And not about making a fair comparison.)
Re: Battery Swap [video]
#54I think the greatest thing to take out of the presentation is... 1. The Tesla driver does NOT need to get out of the car (screw rain and bugs). 2. It IS a reasonable time (no need to sit in a diner and wait) 3. The mileage limitation is becoming less limiting (no different than making sure a long trip has a gas station on the way).
Still need to get out to clean the windshield.
Whats the big deal with getting out anyway?
Re: Battery Swap [video]
#55Better Place has been trying to do the same in Israel and Denmark, and is looking to expand into the US eventually: http://www.wbur.org/npr/159355676/dont-charge-that-electric-...
Better Place actually filed for bankruptcy about a month ago: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/05/anothe...
Re: Battery Swap [video]
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a ridiculous discussion. It takes about 3-5 minutes to fill up a large-tank performance car, similar in features and trim to the Model S. It takes about 2-4 minutes to fill up a smaller car. It takes less than 2 minutes to "fill up" a Model S. It takes about 10 minutes if you also use the restroom. Are we going to start factoring that into the comparison? If not, I'm out.
What's probably most relevant is that it would take roughly as long to half -fill the Audi as to replace the Tesla's battery. That's in many ways a fairer comparison, as the Model S has roughly half the driving range of an Audi, and (I think) most car gasoline fill-ups aren't from near-empty back to full.
The model he fills up looks to be an A8. The A8 fuel economy is around 15-18MPG. So 20 gallon tank only gets 350 mile range on it.
Re: Battery Swap [video]
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
So, $40 times 375 == $15000. That, what, 37500 miles? Sounds worse, not better.
You're going on long trips every single mile? Otherwise you're charging it at home, at work, or using a supercharger while you eat lunch. You may only swap the batt 10 times or less in those 37,500 miles. And you still get all the battery-quality advantages.
You've figured it wrong. After 37500 miles of long-distance driving, you have paid as much as a battery pack. Do you do less than that many long-distance miles in a normal car lifetime?
Re: Battery Swap [video]
#58I think the greatest thing to take out of the presentation is... 1. The Tesla driver does NOT need to get out of the car (screw rain and bugs). 2. It IS a reasonable time (no need to sit in a diner and wait) 3. The mileage limitation is becoming less limiting (no different than making sure a long trip has a gas station on the way).
Still need to get out to clean the windshield. Whats the big deal with getting out anyway?
I only brought that up since here where I'm at in NorCal, there were tons of bugs when I filed my tank recently.
Also if you have kids in the car, it's convenient, it's like asking why are there drive thru's at restaurants, car washes, and atm machines.
Not sure that #1 applies to everyone...I remember on a road trip, in Oregon it's against the law for me to fill my OWN tank.
EDIT: Added wife's 2 cents
Re: Battery Swap [video]
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
You're going on long trips every single mile? Otherwise you're charging it at home, at work, or using a supercharger while you eat lunch. You may only swap the batt 10 times or less in those 37,500 miles. And you still get all the battery-quality advantages.
You've figured it wrong. After 37500 miles of long-distance driving, you have paid as much as a battery pack. Do you do less than that many long-distance miles in a normal car lifetime?
Your calculations rely on someone paying to swap out their battery every time they run low on electricity. The other person is saying that in typical use, you will end up charging the vehicle most of the time, not swapping the battery.
If you were to swap the battery every time, this would look to be a poor bargain. But if the battery is swapped only once per ten "empties", because for the other 9 it was convenient to charge it, then the calculation would be redone for 10x the distance at the same price.
So, you are both right, but talking about slightly different things (typical use for a commuter with occasional trips, vs long-distance-only users).
Re: Battery Swap [video]
#60That was very long winded given that it was promoting speed.
Would an A8 Audi owner pay more to fill up faster? Nope. Because it doesn't actually take very long.