# VIDEO: Tesla demonstrates Model S battery swap



## PhantomPholly (Aug 20, 2008)

Great idea. Now those of us who are most likely to totally abuse our battery packs will simply make sure that once we've damaged our pack we go swap out for a new one for a few bucks.



If this actually catches on, I predict huge financial losses to switching franchise from being stuck with run-out packs.


----------



## rochesterricer (Jan 5, 2011)

According to what I've seen about this, you will get charged the price difference for the new pack if you don't pick up your old one on the way back. It wouldn't be hard to track the owners of abused packs if they needed to. In fact, I'm betting the condition of the used pack is factored into the price difference you are charged. I don't think abuse will be easy or common.


----------



## ndplume (May 31, 2010)

PhantomPholly said:


> Great idea. Now those of us who are most likely to totally abuse our battery packs will simply make sure that once we've damaged our pack we go swap out for a new one for a few bucks.
> 
> 
> 
> If this actually catches on, I predict huge financial losses to switching franchise from being stuck with run-out packs.


Hey PP, 
Have some faith in these guys, this is NOT a govt operation. :^)

In question session afterwards, Elon was asked about owners of battery packs and the concern that they'd get one of less capacity or quality. His reply was that each pack was linked to the owner and they would get their pack back. Either by picking it up where they left it (on the way home), or by having it shipped to a closer spot. The shipping fees would be paid by owner. 
The swapped pack(s) would be treated like a leased and would be charged to user at typical gasoline rates (I hope not typical California gasoline rates !) until returned.

Sounds like Tesla will be stocking the swapping stations with extra packs to lease to their owners. So swapping comes with fees, but charging does not.

Cheers


----------



## Caps18 (Jun 8, 2008)

I'm sorry, but unless you are doing the cross country Cannonball Run, I don't see why you would be in such a hurry that a Super Charger wouldn't be the better option. And would help lower the cost of the car, and install more Super Charging stations. Let alone the logistics and cost of all of those batteries.

There might be some drives where people would like to have the swap, but for $100 (~$50 to get a battery, assuming ~$50 to swap the first one back in) compared to free and having fun with that $100 over an hour or so...


----------



## PStechPaul (May 1, 2012)

Does anybody else think Elon Musk resembles Christopher Walken? 

http://geardiary.com/2013/03/19/elon-musk-keynote-address-at-sxsw-interactive/#.UcUkP53D_IU

It should be easy to incorporate a sort of "black box" in every battery pack to take snapshots of its usage profile and record unusual and damaging events such as overcurrent surges or deep discharge or extremes of temperature and even acceleration in any axis to detect hard off-road usage or accidents.


----------



## Siwastaja (Aug 1, 2012)

PhantomPholly said:


> Now those of us who are most likely to totally abuse our battery packs


It didn't happen to occur to you that these guys have something called a "battery management system", and not any BMS but a highly sophisticated one, that prevents any "abuse". This is why they can also give something called a "guarantee". I guess the guarantee holds even when you drive through their battery change station...

(BTW, thermal management and overcurrent protection is rather easy for them because they have a huge capacity, hence they need rather low "C-ratings".)

They have just done it right so they can give guarantees.

Of course, at some point of time, aged packs start to appear. Then they need think about doing something with it. It's a solvable problem (like most of the problems are), and most importantly, the problem starts appearing slowly so there is time to react; and most likely, battery technology has evolved at that point. My take on this is that they start selling the aged, low-performing packs for other purposes (such as energy storage) and replace them with new packs. It may also well happen that the current packs meet the specifications until the guarantee runs out so that they don't need to do anything.


----------



## PhantomPholly (Aug 20, 2008)

ndplume said:


> Hey PP,
> Have some faith in these guys, this is NOT a govt operation. :^)
> 
> In question session afterwards, Elon was asked about owners of battery packs and the concern that they'd get one of less capacity or quality. His reply was that each pack was linked to the owner and they would get their pack back. Either by picking it up where they left it (on the way home), or by having it shipped to a closer spot. The shipping fees would be paid by owner.
> ...


Ah you are right - Unlike those in Congress, Elon didn't get where he is by promoting losing strategies...


----------



## Brute Force (Aug 28, 2010)

Loosing strategies like solar power and EVs? Good thing he's not one of those kooks...


----------



## PhantomPholly (Aug 20, 2008)

Brute Force said:


> Loosing strategies like solar power and EVs? Good thing he's not one of those kooks...


The government has done nothing to accelerate solar power and electric vehicles that would not have happened without their intervention.

They have, however, managed to channel billions in bribes to their political supporters through alleged "lending" programs where the companies in question went bankrupt.

And yes, Elon Musk could have gotten financing elsewhere if the government had not offered it to him at a more attractive interest rate.

But to you sarcastic non-point: Losing strategies are things like growing our government to a point where it spends almost 40% of our GNP but only receives 20% in taxes. That is a losing strategy for all of us. I'm old, so it won't affect me so much when it tumbles; you are likely young. Hope you don't have any aspirations to be dashed....


----------



## Brute Force (Aug 28, 2010)

I'm sorry, I thought you were being ironic.


----------



## PhantomPholly (Aug 20, 2008)

Brute Force said:


> I'm sorry, I thought you were being ironic.


 
I only wish I was.... Even Harry Potter can't fix this mess; anything else I could say belongs in the chit-chat forum.


----------

