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> Tesla looked at battery swapping after Better Place proved feasibility and passed, probably due to the cost of retrofitting to the existing design and various
by jsight 7y ago
> Tesla looked at battery swapping after Better Place proved feasibility and passed, probably due to the cost of retrofitting to the existing design and various engineering compromises (specifically related to speed and acceleration, which Musk prizes) that would be needed.
The Model S demonstrated battery swapping technology. There was no retrofitting to the design needed, as it was designed to support it from the beginning.
- filoleg 7y agoI think the parent comment was talking more about battery swapping in lieu of charging to save time, not as a "once in a while" kind of thing. As far as I know, swapping a battery for a Model S will take quite a while at a service center.
- jsight 7y agoNot at all, it was demonstrated as taking 5 minutes on a production Model S. They also built one swap station. Some say it was all done for show and they never had any intention of following through. From the interviews with Musk at the time, I got the impression that it was more of a defensive move in case the concept started to gain traction. Either way, though, the vehicle was built for it and it literally took the same time as a gas fillup. I'm sure the demonstration videos are still on Youtube if you are interested.