Official: Replacement Battery Option

[aviators99]

This is total speculation on my part, but there probably would be a residual value in your original pack that Tesla would use to offset the price of a brand new pack, so your net cost may not end up being $45k (or what ever the total price is of a new pack at the time of purchase). Now the question is, would Tesla first charge you the entire price of a new pack and then have you wait for a credit to show up? If so, then it would be pretty tough to run the credit card model on a swap station. It would still be a stretch if say Tesla offered a 50% residual rebate on your existing pack in a swap. That would mean a current price of about $22,500. While I'm sure some owners have individual credit card limits that high, I'm also sure a great many others don't have such a high limit available.

It will be interesting to see what develops over time. The intersection of Tesla with SolarCity will add an interesting economic wrinkle to this whole venture with the potential for SolarCity to utilize older battery packs in their backup power installations.

Well, just so you know...they didn't offer me anything for my current pack.

 

[Seven7]

Just my opinion (and some speculation) here, but maybe in the future Tesla will sell cars without a battery included in the price, you sign up for a battery swap program and you have the option of just leaving the first battery you get in your car and charge it as needed or swap it out at a change out station if you don't have time to charge -or if you don't like the first battery you get just keep swapping them until your happy. I'm sure this has it's problems, so tell me why it won't (or will) work.

 

[SFOTurtle]

Well, just so you know...they didn't offer me anything for my current pack.

Such a deal!

 

[ChadS]

Well, just so you know...they didn't offer me anything for my current pack.

Did they say if they expect the old pack for you to get that price? That price sounds high enough they should give you the new pack and let you keep the old pack. There may be a market for that sort of thing...

I know they expect the old pack back when they do the $12k battery replacement deal, but this seems pretty different.

 

[Eggplant]

Well, just so you know...they didn't offer me anything for my current pack.

Sorry if I missed it, but what was wrong with your current pack that they would not cover it under warranty?

 

[aviators99]

Sorry if I missed it, but what was wrong with your current pack that they would not cover it under warranty?

The degradation is too much in my opinion. Tesla disagrees and the warranty doesn't cover degradation anyway.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

The degradation is too much in my opinion. Tesla disagrees and the warranty doesn't cover degradation anyway.

Ron, you may have posted elsewhere and I may have missed it: what sort of a degradation are you seeing? What's the range at standard and range charges? At how many miles on the odo?

 

[aviators99]

Ron, you may have posted elsewhere and I may have missed it: what sort of a degradation are you seeing? What's the range at standard and range charges? At how many miles on the odo?

I haven't done a range charge in several weeks. Last I checked it was 250. 90% charge is currently 220. I have 22k+ miles. When I got the car the range charge was 273 (for several months) and then it dropped very suddenly.

 

[wycolo]

WY collects no sales tax on the battery: it is an 'option' thus 'tax free'. This logic might not be extensible, though.
--

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

I haven't done a range charge in several weeks. Last I checked it was 250. 90% charge is currently 220. I have 22k+ miles. When I got the car the range charge was 273 (for several months) and then it dropped very suddenly.

did it drop with firmware changes? I had 277-282 rated at first but firmwares changed it a bunch. I think I would be at 260-5 if the firmware was the same but I see 255 now @ 15k miles (~100%)
my 90% is 225 mi

 

[aviators99]

did it drop with firmware changes? I had 277-282 rated at first but firmwares changed it a bunch. I think I would be at 260-5 if the firmware was the same but I see 255 now @ 15k miles (~100%)
my 90% is 225 mi

Some of the drops were coincident with firmware changes, but the first (big one) was not. Btw, there are people who are allegedly still in the 265 area, with more miles than I have. I don't think the 90% charge is really relevant, as the calculation for that is unclear. When comparing, one should only compare range charges, and only at the exact point of when it's done. This can be done by staring at the car or by using the API to poll every 60 seconds or less (what I do).

 

[wraithnot]

I don't think the 90% charge is really relevant, as the calculation for that is unclear. When comparing, one should only compare range charges, and only at the exact point of when it's done. This can be done by staring at the car or by using the API to poll every 60 seconds or less (what I do).

I completely agree with this- the range after a 90% standard charge seems to jump around quite a bit for me. When I charge after my daily commute (50 miles round trip) I charge to 229 miles pretty consistently. But when I charge after a longer trip (120+ miles total) on the weekends, I charge to 233 or so. I don't think this is simply battery pack balancing because the charge after the next daily commute is usually back around 229. Of course range charge values could jump around as well, but I don't range charge often enough to tell.

I've also noticed that the range number drops right after charging completes- my last range charge showed 264 miles right before it stopped and then dropped to 260 (and stayed there) after charging stopped. Same thing happens during a 90% charge- display shows 232 and then drops to 229 about 30 seconds or a minute after charging. Since the numbers after charging stops seem pretty stable (at least until vampire losses kick in), I consider them the "true" values.

 

[donauker]

I haven't done a range charge in several weeks. Last I checked it was 250. 90% charge is currently 220. I have 22k+ miles. When I got the car the range charge was 273 (for several months) and then it dropped very suddenly.

At 20K+ miles my range charge was down to 250 miles as well. I can't wait to see what tomorrow mornings range charge shows on my newly installed re-manufactured battery pack.

 

[AnOutsider]

I just had my battery swapped for a new one, but prior to that a range charge was about 257, so interested in seeing what it is afterward. With the software and algorithm updates though, it's hard to tell if the battery capacity is declining or their algorithms are just making it seem that way (or both)

 

[donauker]

I just had my battery swapped for a new one, but prior to that a range charge was about 257, so interested in seeing what it is afterward. With the software and algorithm updates though, it's hard to tell if the battery capacity is declining or their algorithms are just making it seem that way (or both)

Just last week? If so a busy week for Nick and Co. two dead Sigs needing new packs.

 

[AnOutsider]

Just last week? If so a busy week for Nick and Co. two dead Sigs needing new packs.

Yep, I actually saw the other dead pack.

 

[lloyds]

I told Tesla I wanted to replace my battery (for one of the same size), and they quoted me $45,000.

Is thi sspeculation or is that what a Tesla employee told you on something written?

 

[bluetinc]

AO,

Was this replacement due to a complaint from you, or was it proactive?

Peter

 

[aviators99]

Is thi sspeculation or is that what a Tesla employee told you on something written?

I have it in writing (an official quote from the SC).

In fact, here it is. My address is wrong, so don't feel worried that I didn't redact it :

View attachment schnell - hv batt.pdf

 

[dsm363]

At 20K+ miles my range charge was down to 250 miles as well. I can't wait to see what tomorrow mornings range charge shows on my newly installed re-manufactured battery pack.

Why did they replace it? Wondering what the threshold is.