Battery needs service :(

[apacheguy]

Further to the above:
"As regards the battery swap, no VIN (vehicle identification number) is eligible for upgrade in Australia, I’ve checked that with the factory. Just to elaborate why is not possible: not only a battery swap would be involved but also firmware, fuses, harnesses and drive units cannot sustain the extreme amount of energy produced by the 100Kw/h battery pack."
Straight from Head of Tesla Service, NSW.
Oh well.

Total BS. @wk057 has upgraded to a 100 kWh pack and it required nothing more than an ordinary swap. Extreme amount of energy? I assume he means power? Well, the drive unit will only pull the current it is rated for no matter how much the pack is capable of delivering.

 

[wk057]

Yep, complete BS. The 100 kWh batteries are compatible with every single Model S and X in existence as of right now. Everything is fine on the physical side, hardware side, and software side of things. The only caveat is that the HV Rapid Mate top ring might need to be swapped if the car was manufactured roughly before July 2015. It's just a piece of plastic, and Tesla has the part. It's the same plastic part used if Tesla has to put a newer 85 or 90 pack into an older car after a warranty swap.

Tesla simply doesn't want to sell upgrades. Why would they when they can talk you into trading in your vehicle instead and padding their new vehicle sales numbers?

 

[garyjac]

Thanks for the heads up on that one guys. The local (Aus) market is not "mature" enough for that to happen as yet. However, if one were to make a (sharp) point of it, it might happen? In any case, the market here will settle in 5 years or less I imagine and selling an upgrade is still income.

 

[BigD0g]

There's gotta be a great $$ opportunity of offer batter upgrades to folks, maybe from salvaged cars if there is a way to validate the integrity of the battery pack? Since Tesla won't do it, I suspect someone will, or hopefully will *hint* *hint* @wk057 , I know in a few years i'd love to swap my 75 for a 100 pack.

 

[wk057]

I do battery upgrades for folks. I've done a few. It's not cost effective, but some people still want to do it.

 

[ICUDoc]

I do battery upgrades for folks. I've done a few. It's not cost effective, but some people still want to do it.

Come on down, wk057. Australia has some lovely bits to visit and a few batteries to upgrade...

 

[garyjac]

Hey, that's why it's not cost effective. You've got to pay return plane fares.