"It's A Brick" - Tesla Motors' Devastating Design Problem
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"It's A Brick" - Tesla Motors' Devastating Design Problem
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Re: "It's A Brick" - Tesla Motors' Devastating Design Problem
#2It seems like it's an inherent in this sort of battery. I'm not sure what Tesla could do to offset this. Computer makers mostly don't offer warranties in the case of negligence or intentional damage. The same seems to apply here.
Re: "It's A Brick" - Tesla Motors' Devastating Design Problem
#3What's the issue with the battery tech that makes it not chargable after a full discharge?
Re: "It's A Brick" - Tesla Motors' Devastating Design Problem
#4Every laptop that uses a lithium ion battery should have this problem. Oddly enough every laptop manufacture has included circuitry that cuts battery power when it reaches 5% (when the OS reports 0% it's actually ~1-5%). Tesla should have no problem fixing this, the onboard electronics will die anyway when the battery dies so why not have them die a few hours earlier and allow 'recovery' by charging the vehicle.
Re: "It's A Brick" - Tesla Motors' Devastating Design Problem
#5Could this really not be prevented by a $10 microcontroller and a big-ass relay to just disconnect the battery if it reaches a certain discharge state?
Even my iPhone can turn turtle to protect its battery when it gets too low.
Also how much power does it take to keep the damn thing plugged in? The article indicates that a 100 foot extension cord isn't enough just to break even and the car discharges even when plugged in. A 100 foot cord of cheap 16 gauge wire can still supply almost 900 watts before the voltage drops below 100v. So it uses a kilowatt just to stand-by without even charging? That's one hell of a power vampire.
I think maybe they should spend a bit more time on the fundamentals and a bit less time on fancy bird-wing doors if they want to have a real product. The real car of the future is just a big dumb tray full of indestructible nickle-iron batteries and 4 wheel-hub motors bolted to the corners.
Re: "It's A Brick" - Tesla Motors' Devastating Design Problem
#6What's the issue with the battery tech that makes it not chargable after a full discharge?
It's inherent to any lithium ion battery design which is why every laptop, iphone, etc that uses a lithium ion battery has circuitry that cuts power when the batter reaches 1% to 5% it can occur in your laptop if you discharge the battery entirely and then leave your battery uncharged for months (or less if stored cold).
Some kind of chemical change occurs in Li batteries when completely discharged.
Re: "It's A Brick" - Tesla Motors' Devastating Design Problem
#7Every laptop that uses a lithium ion battery should have this problem. Oddly enough every laptop manufacture has included circuitry that cuts battery power when it reaches 5% (when the OS reports 0% it's actually ~1-5%). Tesla should have no problem fixing this, the onboard electronics will die anyway when the battery dies so why not have them die a few hours earlier and allow 'recovery' by charging the vehicle.
Batteries self-discharge, even when disconnected. 5% is probably not enough to last months, especially if the car is exposed to high temperatures.
Re: "It's A Brick" - Tesla Motors' Devastating Design Problem
#8"In at least one case, Tesla went even further. The Tesla service manager admitted that, unable to contact an owner by phone, Tesla remotely activated a dying vehicle’s GPS to determine its location and then dispatched Tesla staff to go there. It is not clear if Tesla had obtained this owner’s consent to allow this tracking5, or if the owner is even aware that his vehicle had been tracked. Further, the service manager acknowledged that this use of tracking was not something they generally tell customers about."
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That screams class-action to me if Tesla can really track without knowledge of the owner AND will mean that I have absolutely zero interest in purchasing one till this is addressed.
Re: "It's A Brick" - Tesla Motors' Devastating Design Problem
#9Why can't the wheels turn after the battery dies?
Re: "It's A Brick" - Tesla Motors' Devastating Design Problem
#10Why can't the wheels turn after the battery dies?
The article explains that it doesn't have power to turn on "tow mode" - so the wheels remain engaged to the now dead electrical system, effectively locking them in place.