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I think the business model needs to mimic that of the BetterPlace idea: Users of battery swapping stations pay a monthly fee, and the battery is seen more as a

by JPKab 13y ago

I think the business model needs to mimic that of the BetterPlace idea: Users of battery swapping stations pay a monthly fee, and the battery is seen more as a commodity which is rented by the user, but owned by the company. Coming back to get a battery is absurd, and should never happen.

CamperBob2 13y ago
Exactly. I've had this debate/argument many times with HN'ers. For some reason, people around here are unnaturally attached to the idea of owning a particular car battery. I've tried to see it from my interlocutors' point of view, but the point still isn't getting through to me, I'm afraid.
- danielweber 13y ago
  I agree. It strikes me as insane to swap out a ten-to-twenty thousand dollar piece of your car on any regular basis.
  - CamperBob2 13y ago
    Can you elaborate on why you feel that way? Are you mostly concerned about being unable to gauge the remaining life of a "used" battery that's been in someone else's car, or do you see it as a pride-of-ownership sort of thing?
    - danielweber 13y ago
      Right, if I get someone else's, and later we trade back, what happens if we each think there is a problem the other caused by (say) pushing it too hard? If Tesla only loans you a Tesla battery and you have to swap back to yours that they don't give anywhere else, that could make it manageable.
      - CamperBob2 13y ago
        There would never be an opportunity for he-said/she-said arguments to occur. The battery would have extensive data logging (like the rest of the Tesla itself) to keep very careful records of how each owner treated it. Put another way, it would be like leasing the car itself. If you abuse a leased car severely enough, there's a good chance the dealer will find some evidence of it when you turn the car in. In return for not having to pay as much for the battery, and being able to swap it out at any time, you would have an economic incentive not to discharge it excessively or otherwise mistreat it.
jypepin 13y ago
Why not use the same model as the gas bottles of the BBQ? :) You pay a fee to change the battery; The charging station then recharges it and swaps it to another tesla, and so on.

by JPKab 13y ago

CamperBob2 13y ago

Exactly. I've had this debate/argument many times with HN'ers. For some reason, people around here are unnaturally attached to the idea of owning a particular car battery. I've tried to see it from my interlocutors' point of view, but the point still isn't getting through to me, I'm afraid.

danielweber 13y ago
I agree. It strikes me as insane to swap out a ten-to-twenty thousand dollar piece of your car on any regular basis.
- CamperBob2 13y ago
  Can you elaborate on why you feel that way? Are you mostly concerned about being unable to gauge the remaining life of a "used" battery that's been in someone else's car, or do you see it as a pride-of-ownership sort of thing?
  - danielweber 13y ago
    Right, if I get someone else's, and later we trade back, what happens if we each think there is a problem the other caused by (say) pushing it too hard? If Tesla only loans you a Tesla battery and you have to swap back to yours that they don't give anywhere else, that could make it manageable.
    - CamperBob2 13y ago
      There would never be an opportunity for he-said/she-said arguments to occur. The battery would have extensive data logging (like the rest of the Tesla itself) to keep very careful records of how each owner treated it. Put another way, it would be like leasing the car itself. If you abuse a leased car severely enough, there's a good chance the dealer will find some evidence of it when you turn the car in. In return for not having to pay as much for the battery, and being able to swap it out at any time, you would have an economic incentive not to discharge it excessively or otherwise mistreat it.

jypepin 13y ago

Why not use the same model as the gas bottles of the BBQ? :) You pay a fee to change the battery; The charging station then recharges it and swaps it to another tesla, and so on.