Tesla is making some interesting claims regarding the range and charge times.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Model S brochure
RANGE
• Up to 300 mile range
• 45 minute QuickCharge
• Charges from 120V, 240V
or 480V
• 5 minute battery swap
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I'm curious as to how the 5 minute battery swap works, and how it's possible to charge the battery pack within 45 minutes. I'm assuming it'd need a 480v connection to achieve that charge time, but I thought they were using L-Ion batteries for the Model S, which makes me wonder how they can do that without damaging the battery pack over time. I'm guessing the QuickCharge isn't meant for daily use, at the very least, and probably represents something like an 80% charge rather than the full thing.
If they can actually deliver on that, though, it will go a long way towards making this a practical vehicle for a lot of consumers.
Until they actually prove it, all of it is hype.
We'll see how this goes.
On the subject of the battery packs, I just had an idle thought. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable on Tesla's way of handling this with the Roadster can enlighten me.
A Lithium Ion battery has a useful life of roughly 400 charge cycles. Does this mean that I'm going to be replacing my battery every 18-24 months? And just how much of the cost of the vehicle is represented by the battery pack?
I suppose the maintenance involved there is offset by the lack of all the ugliness of an internal combustion engine. No oil or transmission fluid or belts or pulleys or any of the other things that wear out on a usual car. Still, if it's going to cost the buyer several thousand dollars every couple of years, that could make it more difficult to market. Less of a concern in the Model S segment, again, but how will this be addressed for Bluestar I wonder?