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They are replaceable in minutes: http://fortune.com/2015/06/10/teslas-battery-swap-is-dead/ http://fortune.com/2015/06/10/teslas-battery-swap-is-dead/ They're

• dexterdog 10y ago
  This sounds like a program that was designed to fail so they could say that they tried. I don't see a ~400mi charge from zero ever happening in the sub-10 minute range. A swap is the only way to do that without a major technological breakthrough. Swaps have their own logistical problems, but swapping battery packs is the best solution for cars, phones and anything that needs a battery that can be easily swapped.
  • phil21 10y ago
    I think it's also too new in battery tech for this to happen. Batteries need to become more like a commodity everyone thinks is interchangeable before this becomes truly viable. If I own my car (and battery) I probably take pretty good care of it. Who is to say I'm swapping with a battery that has been poorly cared for? This anxiety alone (justified or not) means a lot of owners won't currently do this. Tesla "tried" to solve this - but if I have to plan ahead for when I want to do a swap it's again a hugely useless service. The entire reason battery swaps would exist, is to make charging an afterthought non-issue. Basically I can see once electric cars get to be the majority and battery tech drives prices down this happening more - probably starts out more like a battery service/extended warranty plan where you pay a monthly fee for a certain guaranteed performance. Then this company will develop the repair/service infrastructure to be positioned to take advantage of any standardized battery swap tech for their customers. It's fun to think about the new markets here, but right now battery packs are more like pets than cattle.
    • jessriedel 10y ago
      What is the evidence that battery-ownership concerns are actually driving consumer decisions? Is survey info from Tesla available?
  • dangrossman 10y ago
    > This sounds like a program that was designed to fail so they could say that they tried You're getting downvotes, but I think that's accurate. Tesla built a battery swap station in order to qualify for extra ZEV credits worth millions of dollars that California was offering as an incentive to develop an EV that could be charged as fast as gasoline cars. They met the bare minimum requirements to qualify for those credits, and the station was likely never used by anyone other than a few reporters, then quickly closed after the credits were earned. The station was "opened" in a way that seems to me designed to ensure nobody would use it: you had to be invited to take your car there, you had to call several days ahead of the time you wanted to do so to make a reservation, you had to pay $80 for the privilege, and you might not get your own battery back. The swap station was located across the street from a Supercharger where you could simply pull in without a reservation and quick charge your car for free.
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  • kylec 10y ago
    Agreed about being "designed to fail". Apparently the swaps cost $60-$80 and were by appointment only. It's no wonder that nobody chose to do it. http://www.businessinsider.com/teslas-battery-swapping-plan-isnt-working-out-2015-6 http://www.businessinsider.com/teslas-battery-swapping-plan-...