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> "Battery Swap" was a lie that was never delivered Sorry, but this can be disproved with a single Google search. They did have a battery swap station (between

> "Battery Swap" was a lie that was never delivered Sorry, but this can be disproved with a single Google search. They did have a battery swap station (between SF and LA), but there was minimal interest from customers. https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-shuts-down-battery-swap-program-for-superchargers/ https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-shuts-down-battery-swap-prog...

dragontamer 5y ago
https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-battery-swap-harris-ranch-20150310-story.html https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-batter... > A Tesla spokesperson said the Harris Ranch facility is functional, but that battery swaps are only being done on a limited fleet of Tesla cars. > “We are currently running the pilot with a small number of Model S,” said Tesla’s Khobi Brooklyn. “It’s open to a small number of Model S owners.” > What is the point of a Tesla battery swap program that isn’t actually swapping batteries for Tesla owners? > It could have something to do with California’s Air Resources Board and its complicated system of zero-emission vehicle credits. ------- They opened a singular facility that operated at a loss for a few months, and then shut it down. With no intent on ever mass-producing this technology or dropping the costs down to be a long term sustainable solution. They accomplished just enough to take the California tax credit, and then never spoke of it again.
- diebeforei485 5y ago
  Yeah, they invited a few people at first, then opened it to every Tesla owner in California, and basically nobody was interested. Supercharging was fast enough for most people, and it didn't make sense to scale out something that almost nobody was interested in. Another notable change at that time was adding the underbody plate[1] for increased fire safety, which made the swap take longer than it otherwise would. These were offered free of charge to customers and there was very high uptake. [1] https://www.tesla.com/blog/tesla-adds-titanium-underbody-shield-and-aluminum-deflector-plates-model-s https://www.tesla.com/blog/tesla-adds-titanium-underbody-shi...
  - dragontamer 5y ago
    > then opened it to every Tesla owner in California Nope. Never happened. 200 invitations to one location, and those invited needed to schedule an appointment to use them. Then the project was killed off. Appointment-only service isn't what "battery swap" was about. It was supposed to be a service that was more convenient than gas stations or superchargers. But we all know that swapping $15,000 batteries, roughly 1000lbs or more (aka: the weight of an engine lift) in 10 minutes was never really a viable business model. > Another notable change at that time was adding the underbody plate[1] for increased fire safety Oh thanks for reminding me of that. The plate that no longer exists on modern models, yet another broken promise of Mr. Musk. https://www.reddit.com/r/IdiotsInCars/comments/ppqqwg/15yr_old_steals_daddys_tesla_and_takes_an_uphill/ https://www.reddit.com/r/IdiotsInCars/comments/ppqqwg/15yr_o... You know, make a blogpost about how awesome Titanium is as a metal / shield, but SEO it away by a few years to make "Tesla Shield" in Google point you to floor mats. You know, to make the public forget about the entire "Shield" episode entirely and the whole controversy about exploding bottoms of Tesla cars.

dragontamer 5y ago

https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-battery-swap-harris-ranch-20150310-story.html https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-batter... > A Tesla spokesperson said the Harris Ranch facility is functional, but that battery swaps are only being done on a limited fleet of Tesla cars. > “We are currently running the pilot with a small number of Model S,” said Tesla’s Khobi Brooklyn. “It’s open to a small number of Model S owners.” > What is the point of a Tesla battery swap program that isn’t actually swapping batteries for Tesla owners? > It could have something to do with California’s Air Resources Board and its complicated system of zero-emission vehicle credits. ------- They opened a singular facility that operated at a loss for a few months, and then shut it down. With no intent on ever mass-producing this technology or dropping the costs down to be a long term sustainable solution. They accomplished just enough to take the California tax credit, and then never spoke of it again.

diebeforei485 5y ago
Yeah, they invited a few people at first, then opened it to every Tesla owner in California, and basically nobody was interested. Supercharging was fast enough for most people, and it didn't make sense to scale out something that almost nobody was interested in. Another notable change at that time was adding the underbody plate[1] for increased fire safety, which made the swap take longer than it otherwise would. These were offered free of charge to customers and there was very high uptake. [1] https://www.tesla.com/blog/tesla-adds-titanium-underbody-shield-and-aluminum-deflector-plates-model-s https://www.tesla.com/blog/tesla-adds-titanium-underbody-shi...
- dragontamer 5y ago
  > then opened it to every Tesla owner in California Nope. Never happened. 200 invitations to one location, and those invited needed to schedule an appointment to use them. Then the project was killed off. Appointment-only service isn't what "battery swap" was about. It was supposed to be a service that was more convenient than gas stations or superchargers. But we all know that swapping $15,000 batteries, roughly 1000lbs or more (aka: the weight of an engine lift) in 10 minutes was never really a viable business model. > Another notable change at that time was adding the underbody plate[1] for increased fire safety Oh thanks for reminding me of that. The plate that no longer exists on modern models, yet another broken promise of Mr. Musk. https://www.reddit.com/r/IdiotsInCars/comments/ppqqwg/15yr_old_steals_daddys_tesla_and_takes_an_uphill/ https://www.reddit.com/r/IdiotsInCars/comments/ppqqwg/15yr_o... You know, make a blogpost about how awesome Titanium is as a metal / shield, but SEO it away by a few years to make "Tesla Shield" in Google point you to floor mats. You know, to make the public forget about the entire "Shield" episode entirely and the whole controversy about exploding bottoms of Tesla cars.