New Roadster Goodies for 2014

[brianman]

I don't want a faster Roadster... I want one with >30 minutes endurance on a race track.

... and a roll cage.

 

[FANGO]

Not really, when the pack has more capacity there's less stress on each individual cell. Also this means less time of the pack being pulled down below 30% SOC and less need to do full 100% Range mode charges. Its the same in essence of the Nissan Leaf vs. the Roadster at its current range. Leaf owners have to do full 100% charges and always drain their packs down to a very low, sometimes single digit SOC values.

Heat will be allot less for each cell since less amps has to be pulled, the SOC will also reside above 50% longer since the pack has more range/capacity. Ever see how fast your pack heats up below 50% SOC? Also pulling hard from the pack below 50% is not that good for the cells.

Load a current roadster with 500 extra lbs of weight and it will stress the car more. Pushing more weight takes more power. So, a car with less weight but the same energy storage will put less stress on the pack.

 

[wiztecy]

Load a current roadster with 500 extra lbs of weight and it will stress the car more. Pushing more weight takes more power. So, a car with less weight but the same energy storage will put less stress on the pack.

That stress is fine on the pack and it will fair well. Weight is not an significant health issue. Yes, if its below 50% SOC, and you punch / pull from the pack you are stressing the cells more than if its lighter. And yes, more weight to move takes more energy from the pack. However it is not that significant and a larger pack has way more benefit for its vitality than the disadvantages I mentioned above.

Its proven that heat, SOC in the high/low ranges are the true killers of the lithium ion battery pack. Biggest killer is heat and high SOC. This causes corrosion occur at a high rate on the cathodes of the cell which deteriorates the pack rather quickly.

"Cycle Life (number of cycles). Cycle life is the number of discharge–charge cycles the battery can handle at a specific DOD (normally 80%) before it fails to meet specific performance criteria. The actual operating life of the battery is affected by the charging and discharging rates, DOD, and other conditions such as temperature."

Quote pulled from this book (much research proving this):
Battery Management Systems: Accurate State-of-Charge Indication for Battery-Powered Applications (Philips Research Book Series (closed)): Valer Pop, Henk Jan Bergveld, Dmitry Danilov, Paul P. L. Regtien, Peter H. L. Notten: 9789048177738: Amazon.com: Books

Can be referenced here or google it online:
View attachment 9781461401339-c1.pdf

Here's another source of what kills/degrades the lithium ion battery pack:
Lithium Ion Battery Aging Factors - Knowledge Base - Knowledge - IngenuityWorking


I have not seen anywhere documented that weight is a significant factor of Lithium Battery life degradation. More weight will use more energy, that's given. But a large pack, that extra weight will easily be diminished and the benefits far more outweigh the weight savings in terms of stress, longevity, and overall health of the pack.

 

[FANGO]

Wiz, I am not talking about more range vs lighter pack. I'm talking about current pack vs lighter pack. More range has zero interest to me and isn't even on my radar. A lighter car would stress the same size pack less. That is all I said in my first comment and its what you just agreed with in your most recent comment. So I don't know where your "not exactly" came from.

 

[dhrivnak]

I for one need the range. Any city of over 50,000 is 100 miles away. So the 200 mile range is challenging if there is any weather or headwinds. A 400 mile pack will get me to anywhere I need to go in a Roadster. So I for one really can use a 400 mile pack and am very much looking forward to it. Yes lighter would be nice but given the option to shed 300 lbs or to go to 400 miles the choice is easy for me. I want the 400 miles.

 

[bonnie]

I for one need the range. Any city of over 50,000 is 100 miles away. So the 200 mile range is challenging if there is any weather or headwinds. A 400 mile pack will get me to anywhere I need to go in a Roadster. So I for one really can use a 400 mile pack and am very much looking forward to it. Yes lighter would be nice but given the option to shed 300 lbs or to go to 400 miles the choice is easy for me. I want the 400 miles.

Ditto. Give me the 400 miles, please.

 

[Jaff]

...until the new Roadster comes along again to destroy all-comers...

Thought I would come over here and stir the pot in light of the P85D launch tonight. All I can say is that since a 4,600lb Model S can now out-accelerate the Roadster, the PXXD Model 3 (being lighter with the same amount of power) will simply bury it.

 

[samcarney]

I for one need the range. Any city of over 50,000 is 100 miles away. So the 200 mile range is challenging if there is any weather or headwinds. A 400 mile pack will get me to anywhere I need to go in a Roadster. So I for one really can use a 400 mile pack and am very much looking forward to it. Yes lighter would be nice but given the option to shed 300 lbs or to go to 400 miles the choice is easy for me. I want the 400 miles.

+ 1

 

[felixtb]

I for one need the range. Any city of over 50,000 is 100 miles away. So the 200 mile range is challenging if there is any weather or headwinds. A 400 mile pack will get me to anywhere I need to go in a Roadster. So I for one really can use a 400 mile pack and am very much looking forward to it. Yes lighter would be nice but given the option to shed 300 lbs or to go to 400 miles the choice is easy for me. I want the 400 miles.

more range and lighter would be the ideal for most but since it is not really conceivable today more range seems the most important for everyday use. bring on the miles.

 

[strider]

You're not thinking long-term enough - imagine the next Roadster

Well, I have small children so my next car will be a small sedan which is why I'm looking forward to Model 3. But once the kids are grown I'll be happy to pick up a 3rd gen Roadster (I told you my kids are small ).

 

[spaceballs]

Anyone hear of any rumors of delivery recently?

For Roaster #164 I'm having no luck finding an dead 1.5 ESS enclosure (so I can build my own battery), and I'm about to give up on waiting for the new battery pack.

 

[hjr]

Would you really drive 200 miles in the Roadster each way somewhere? In the East Coast that would test my nerves just avoiding the potholes. I've hit some real rattlers in my Roadster! BTW I have not seen 200 miles of range in standard mode ever... and you prob do not want to charge in range mode daily....

 

[spaceballs]

Would you really drive 200 miles in the Roadster each way somewhere? In the East Coast that would test my nerves just avoiding the potholes. I've hit some real rattlers in my Roadster! BTW I have not seen 200 miles of range in standard mode ever... and you prob do not want to charge in range mode daily....

That not the point, I want new cells with longer calendar life starting from the day it was manufactured (so recently), than a refurbished unit with older used cells.

 

[dhrivnak]

Would you really drive 200 miles in the Roadster each way somewhere? In the East Coast that would test my nerves just avoiding the potholes. I've hit some real rattlers in my Roadster! BTW I have not seen 200 miles of range in standard mode ever... and you prob do not want to charge in range mode daily....

ABSOLUTELY I have done it a number of times and it is a real challenge with a 200 mile pack. Where I live my trips are either less than 25 miles (errands around town) or over 200 miles. There is very little in-between. The family is 400 miles to Pittsburgh or 400 miles to Washington DC or 300 miles to Atlanta. Right now all of those places are a pain with 200 miles of range and SLOW public charging.

 

[Fabrizio]

Last year, Elon said there would be something cool for Roadster owners before the end of 2014. Back in July of this year, Elon stated that Roadster owners would see a 400 mile range battery pack. It is now December 2014 and there is nothing new for Roadster owners. I would love to see the 400 mile battery pack come to fruition, and I believe it will some day. Like all other Tesla products, the delivery date has probably been pushed back.

Don't misunderstand, I love my Roadster and I believe in Tesla and Elon. My local service center treats me right and has always had a loaner for me when my Roadster was being serviced. But reality is that Tesla has historically delayed new product release.

So until 400-mile battery packs start being delivered, there is nothing cool from Tesla for Roadster owners in 2014 (yet).

 

[Jackyche]

Anyone know elon's email address? I'll write a very courteous reminder to him. Just letting him know how eager the roadster community is, that's all.

 

[WarpedOne]

It should not be to hard to fill some roadster ESS enclosures will Model S cells and voila: 81kWh pack with about 340 mile range.

 

[Chickenlittle]

Anyone know elon's email address? I'll write a very courteous reminder to him. Just letting him know how eager the roadster community is, that's all.

Sorry. He told me never to give out his private e mail or cell number

 

[JRP3]

Longer than expected factory retooling, missed Q3 numbers, reduced Q4 predictions, delayed D deliveries, stock price cratering...I think it's safe to say the handful of Roadster packs got put on the back burner.

 

[spaceballs]

Anyone know elon's email address? I'll write a very courteous reminder to him. Just letting him know how eager the roadster community is, that's all.

Thought I saw his email listed somewhere here NEW TO THE FORUM? Read this before posting. | Forums | Tesla Motors