Max cont. cell current: 233/74=3.15 A (from your webpage)
S 60: 3.6V*3.15A*5376 cells = 61 kW max continuously (don't know what voltage to use, ~300 V batt. volts?)
S 85: 3.6*3.15*7104 = 80 kW max continuously
Is that about right?
The max stats on our battery module page are what's possible at max usage, not what's best for the cells.
I've actually had a couple different 60 packs in my own daily driver car temporarily over the past couple of years trying to see how actual usage compares with an 85 pack or better.
The short answer is that it's a lot more complicated than meets the eye. Overall, the current per cell just has to stay higher for longer for normal driving. It's not the peaks that really matter. Both acceleration and regen result in higher currents for longer periods of time, and the amount of impact current has at the cell level is exponential.
You're looking at it a bit backwards. What matters is how much power the car needs to operate, which is independent of the pack. If it takes X kW to accelerate, cruise, etc, then with an 85 pack that will be (X / (Voltage) / 74) amps per cell. With a 60 pack, that's (X / (Voltage) / 62) amps per cell. The total voltage for the 60 is already ~15% less than the 85, also. So in reality it ends up being something like > 30% more load per cell for the same amount of power delivery.
As you get closer to the lower side of SoC with a 60 pack, the current required for the same power is significantly higher, and the losses are exponential as current increases. At say, 40% charge that normal acceleration up a highway on-ramp is going to be
way more taxing on a 60 pack than an 85 pack at the same SoC, dragging the cells all the way to their minimum permitted voltage while under load until reaching cruise speed. This just doesn't happen in the larger packs except during things like full launches... which are less common than just stop and go traffic.
So much working against the 60 packs, I'm surprised Tesla built them as long as they did.
Waiting on those pricing adjustments like… /s
Yeah, that one's on me. Ran into a few minor glitches getting it implemented in the original time allotted. Instead of breaking things, made sense to just keep the existing prices until it's finished right.