5 ms·
The batteries in a Tesla aren't very green and sadly they are quite large. Big automakers think in volumes of millions of cars, Tesla delivers about 25K (EDIT:
by bravo22 11y ago
The batteries in a Tesla aren't very green and sadly they are quite large. Big automakers think in volumes of millions of cars, Tesla delivers about 25K (EDIT: looks like 40K projected for this year[1]) cars a year.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2015/05/12/tesla-earnings-review-small-margin-production-improvements-in-q1-too-small-for-2015-targets/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2015/05/12/tes...
- chambo622 11y agoTry ~55k this year
- bravo22 11y agoMaybe that is sold? Per this [1] article from May their delivery per quarter is about 10K units, so about 40K/yr. I'll update my reply. http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2015/05/12/tesla-earnings-review-small-margin-production-improvements-in-q1-too-small-for-2015-targets/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2015/05/12/tes...
- eatmyshorts 11y agoAccording to Tesla's own statements, they are planning to deliver 55k this year, and their Q2 deliveries of 11,507 puts them on track (by their own estimates). I would assume some of those deliveries will be for the Model X, which is supposed to start shipping in Q3. Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-sets-a-new-record-for-car-deliveries-in-second-quarter-2015-7 http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-sets-a-new-record-for-c...
- CydeWeys 11y agoIsn't it an overstatement that the batteries aren't green? Yes, there are environmental impacts from the production, but still a lot less than the environmental impacts of all the oil that would otherwise be produced and burnt to fuel the car over its lifetime, no?
- bravo22 11y agoPlease see my other response in this thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9905275 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9905275
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- rybosome 11y agoThat's my understanding, but it's important to keep this in mind when touting the merits of battery tech. Of course, the battery production and charging process can become drastically more green (and will do so once the Gigafactory is operational), so even this is somewhat of a moot point.
- Merad 11y agoBut, isn't the lifetime of the battery pack significantly lower than the (presumed) lifetime of the actual car? If your Model S stays on the road 20 years but requires 3-4 battery replacements, that's several big hits against its environmental friendliness.
- digikata 11y agoThe lifetime of the battery will likely be much longer than it's life in the car - if the plans for 'second life' re-use as static energy storage devices come to pass.
- CydeWeys 11y agoThe lifetimes of battery packs have been greatly underestimated by detractors for quite some time. Hybrids have been on the US market since 1999, and battery life has never been a serious issue. The new batteries are far higher quality than the old ones anyway. 3-4 battery replacements over 20 years isn't anything close to what a Model S will require. Do you have a source for those figures?
- wbeckler 11y agoThe bestselling minivan only sells 110K units in a given year. That's not millions.
- bravo22 11y agoIn the US, and Minivans aren't the most popular type of cars. Here is just BMW sales in 2014: http://www.bmwgroup.com/e/0_0_www_bmwgroup_com/investor_relations/corporate_news/news/2015/vertriebsmeldung_dezember2014.html http://www.bmwgroup.com/e/0_0_www_bmwgroup_com/investor_rela...
- toast0 11y agoNot sure if these are correct figures, but http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2015/01/usa-minivan-sales-figures-december-2014-year-end.html http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2015/01/usa-minivan-sales-figur... says the Chrysler Town & Country sold 138k, and the Dodge Caravan sold 134k, this appears to be US only data; and these two vehicles are really the same vehicle with different trim, so that's about 10 times the number of Tesla vehicles.
- rjusher 11y agoWhat do you mean with not very green, I do know they carry chemicals inside, but the not very green part is the manufacturing or the battery itself. But Tesla is also working in a big battery factory, and I read this plant is very green. But how is the batteries less green than cars producing contamination. (The batteries could be worst, that's is something I haven't even considered)¿?
- bravo22 11y agoThe carbon footprint of producing the battery, even not considering the chemicals, is very large. So much so that you'd have to drive it on many years from a full-renewable source for you to break even with a regular car[1]. Tesla, sadly, maximizes the battery in their cars. My read is that their main goal is selling batteries and everything from opening their "patents" (i.e. their custom connectors/battery pack) to the home wall-pack is designed to do that. [1] http://www.environment.ucla.edu/media/files/BatteryElectricVehicleLCA2012-rh-ptd.pdf http://www.environment.ucla.edu/media/files/BatteryElectricV... (page 7 with relevant graph) Also http://www.enveurope.com/content/pdf/2190-4715-24-14.pdf http://www.enveurope.com/content/pdf/2190-4715-24-14.pdf (page 10/11)
- cloudwalking 11y agoWhat about the carbon footprint of producing gasoline? You're missing half of the equation.
- bravo22 11y agoThe linked report compares BEVs with ICE and Hybrid. Hybrid beats both because of the smaller battery. BEVs have a very large upfront footprint due to the battery that needs to be paid off overtime by driving from a renewable source. However in US only 14% of energy comes from renewable sources, so it'll be a very long pay off. Hybrids are the best way to go until we make significant strides in batteries (20-30 years off?). You rely on your charged battery for most of your trips, and the highly optimized gas engine kicks in when you need the extra range/juice.