500 mile Model S soon? Semi with 1 MW battery for $180K What. The. Hell????

[FutureShock]

Interestingly, over at Bloomberg, they're talking about the same exact stuff we are.

Tesla’s Newest Promises Break the Laws of Batteries

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[RScottyL]

It really makes zero sense to me that a suiercar from them albeit a 2+2 will be priced at ~200k and give you 620 miles of range and the model s will be 160k loaded with 335 miles of range. I 100% agree with the post above, MAJOR battery increase has to be in the pipeline, model 3 range is exactly the same and it’s half the price.

I own a model x and it’s an awesome suv but on a family road trip we get maybe 180-200 miles on a charge. The thought of that big suv going 400 “actual” miles is so awesome. I for one would definitely upgrade to a long range battery... I’m sure there’s a ton of people in my shoes, it aucks keeping an ice car around for road trips.

I agree on the battery range increase as it only makes sense!

It has the newer battery technology that he is putting in the Model 3, which takes up less space to get the same range as the current batteries in the Model S and X.

If you were Elon, why would you keep two different battery lines, which means more time and work, when you could just simplify everything and keep the newer line!

 

[alehbaba]

I think making a reaster style on a model3 frame and battery is a better realistic goal for tesla. Not everyone needs 500miles range and 1.9 sec but they would like the convertible styling. Sure make the 1.9 for rich people with 250k to spend but also make one for us poor people that is in the style of a 2 door convertible but is basically a model 3. I get the whole smackdown idea and i already feel that with the model s as anyone should with any tesla but if you ever owned a 5/6 speed convertible from honda to mazda to nissan z to toyota mr2 to fiat spyder to porsche 911 to audi tt you know that the fun is more in the styling and the shifting of gears then the speed and range. I know as i have owned a few cheapie convertibles(still do) and there is something to be said for my points here. I once drove a new fiat spyder for test drive and it was an automatic WTF...same with a newer audi tt that was auto(had paddle shifters but those are lame)..ALso drove infiniti g37x automatic with the sport shifter thing and it was lame..then i drove the same car with 6 speed auto and it was a blast.

 

[MarcusMaximus]

I'd expect the Semi to be able to use L2 and Superchargers (where space permits), but really only for emergency or overnight-type charging.

To fully charge a 1 MWh battery from empty in 10 hours, you'd need a charge rate of about 100 kW, at the level of Supercharging. I could potentially see a Semi driver pulling into a hotel for the night and plugging into a Supercharger, as there are many Superchargers at or near hotels. Occasional use of Superchargers to bridge gaps in the Megacharger network could also make sense.

The maximum L2 charge rate supported by charging stations today (mostly Tesla Wall Connectors) is about 20 kW. For the Semi, that'd be about 50 hours for a full charge! This is akin to our cars being able to charge on standard 120V outlets, not great for regular use but good to have as a backup.

By contrast, a 200 kWh Roadster or Model S/X would be able to get a decent charge (not full) within 1.5 hours or so on today's Superchargers, or 10 hours from empty to full on a 20 kW L2. That's much more do-able.

I don't see the supercharging bit, in particular, happening with the Semi. I just don't see any way for a semi to physically fit close enough for the cable to reach its charging port. It took a lot of practice to be able to get my S consistently at just the right position for it to reach.

 

[mongo]

I don't see the supercharging bit, in particular, happening with the Semi. I just don't see any way for a semi to physically fit close enough for the cable to reach its charging port. It took a lot of practice to be able to get my S consistently at just the right position for it to reach.

If they were to do something like that, they would need a 1-4 adapter cable anyway, so that could give the length needed for a 30 minute 40 mile charge.

 

[xborg]

While I agree, more frequent stops are healthier and better for long road trips, it is just flawed logic that a smaller battery makes sense. It does not. I take a lot of road trips with my Model S and I have to say, the limited battery capacity does get old.

The way Superchargers are generally spaced, you kind of have to hit every one. You can skip one sometimes, but to be able to do that, you have to charge pretty high battery levels where charging gets rather slow. You can do it but it will slow you down quite a bit overall on top of the fact that road trips already take longer in a Tesla. Especially when traveling with kids, sometimes you really want to keep driving when they are quiet or are asleep. Sometimes you're driving in cold weather where the energy usage is ridiculous. And of course, the longer the range the less stops you have to make which always is a good thing!

On road trips you really want to stay away from charging more than 80% because it gets really slow. Based on my experience of almost 4 years and 130k miles with my Model S, energy usage on road trips is about 15-20% higher than normal. Considering both, that brings my usable range on road trips down to 160 miles. Subtract 30 miles buffer and we are down to only 130 miles. That's the true, realistic range on a road trip between Superchargers. That's not even 2 hours of driving.

While my family gets the idea of driving electric for many good reasons, they are annoyed by the frequent stops we have to take on road trips. I think it's a reasonable argument. When we take the ICE we stop on road trips as well. But we can stop where we want. We are not limited to Superchargers that often have very little around them, not even a bathroom. And yes sometimes we go straight for 4 hours and make good time.

A larger battery would give us a lot more flexibility when, where, how often and how long to stop. We could fill up faster (larger battery can take a higher charge rate longer). We could fill up more energy at destination chargers and home, saving us some stops entirely. It would give us back the choice on how to take road trips rather than having to follow the needs of the car.

I totally agree. Also, if you are on a longer road trip that requires sleeping in hotels, you have to be very careful about your selection. It's very hard to find a hotel with chargers in Europe. The hotels with destination chargers are generally very expensive. If you can't find a hotel with chargers, you start your next day with a 50 minutes charging session, which is not very nice. You cannot randomly pick a hotel when you are tired, you have to plan ahead very carefully.

 

[tchaic]

you have to realize that its all just words now. The whole roadster/semi show was just that..a show. All the fluff was on the 0-60 speed rides...no wonder about interior design/quality or even actual range NOW..so people blindly fork over 50k based on words and promises? Seems like bad financial decisioning but to each his own.

All new cars are bad financial decision making. If you can afford to put $50k or $250k CASH deposit down for a car that may come out in three years or may be five you have likely made thousands of very smart financial decisions. This indulgence should be forgiven. I want a Roadster and could swing the $50kdeposit thoug not the $250k. But sadly I’m to cheap to do it. I envy those in line for Roadster and patient enough to wait. What a car!!!!