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Tesla Preps Bigger 100 KWh Battery For Model S and Model X (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Tesla will soon offer a 100 kWh battery for the Model S and Model X that will allow for increased range -- perhaps as much as 380 miles for the Model S. Currently, the 90 kWh batteries are the company's largest capacity. Kenteken.TV is reporting that the Dutch regulator that certifies Tesla's vehicles for use in the European Union, RDW, has recently published a number of new Tesla variants. RDW's public database now includes entries for a Tesla "100D" and "100X," which are titles that follow Tesla's current naming system based on battery capacity. The listing for the 100D claims the vehicle has a range of 381 miles or 613 kilometers. The motor output is reported as 90 kilowatts (121 horsepower), which is the maximum output the Tesla motors can sustain without overheating. Autoblog notes that EU range estimates tend to be more optimistic than those issued by the U.S. EPA. A more realistic range might be 310 to 320 miles.
Well the 381 mile estimate is based on European figures; the US EPA figures are tighter and would estimate closer to what you said.
With about 10% of the battery reserved, you have roughly 90kWH to play with. To get 380 miles of range, you'd need to use ~237 WH/mile. I've done that, but it's a pain. Basically constant speed without slowing down or speeding up at ~40 mph on a flat road.
Still, lifetime averages seem to be around 315 WH/mile so 90kWH should result in about 285 miles before the car shuts down (without bricking).
For me, I don't have a charger at home (live in a condo with garage parking). I charge at work. So having the extra range means I don't need to fight for chargers as often. Right now, with a 85kWH battery, I find myself charging about twice a week (including the weekend trips) at work. If I can knock that down to once a week, it'd make a big difference to me.
In dense urban places, that kind of mentality is probably pretty common.
The other benefit of a bigger battery is that superchargers will give you more range before going into the trickle-charge range. That should make refueling on a road trip faster.
From TFA (this is Slashdot, you're excused for not reading it):
[NOTE: An earlier version of this article suggested that the quotation of 90 kw (121 hp) for the Tesla's motor output was a typo or an error. We thank our reader Vigge50 for pointing out that EU requirements appear to require quoting maximum sustainable power over a long period, rather the peak outputs quoted by Tesla in North America. We've corrected the error.]
I think people who actually need to tow things are the niche market since most people don't. Most people here go from home to work, home to drop the kids at school, home to the store etc and for that the range of the Tesla is good enough. On top of that, instead of 2-5 minutes filling up, you can fill up overnight or use one of the higher power chargers at the shopping mall (Several malls here in Montreal have them) and have a full charge when you are done shopping or eating. If you think about it, it's actually a more efficient use of your time since you no longer have to supervise the car while it charges. It's just a matter of not thinking of "refueling the car" as a separate task the way we do now. If we can get the low hanging fruit of small car needs, we will vastly reduce how much crap we put unto the air and reduce the money we are sending to crazy Monarchies in the middle east who then use a bunch of that money in ways that cause us trouble.
Well with that the range will about catch up with my M3, but the horsepower and refuel time remain lacking.
1. A Tesla has more HP than a M3.
2. The "refueling" happens in your home, while you get on with your life, rather than waiting in line at the gas station.
For long trips, you either pre-plan so that your recharges coincide with a meal at a nice restaurant, or just use your spouse's car (or maybe your mom's).
Regardless, as somebody who actually likes driving, I would still never buy one.
Have you ever actually driven a Tesla?
The Model S is quite heavy. Bear in mind the Model S has the interior space of a Mercedes C-Class or BMW 3-series.
Comparing the curbside weights of the high-performance versions of saloon (American: sedan), as the Tesla markets itself as a high-performance car.
Tesla Model S 85D: 2188kg
Mercedes AMG C63: 1785kg
BMW M3: 1646kg
Audi A4 3.0V6 TDI: 1540kg
The Tesla is over 400kg heavier than a comparable internal combustion car.
Considering larger cars, the Mercedes AMG E63 estate (American: wagon), a significantly larger car with significantly more space inside, weighs 1945kg. The Lexus LS, also a larger car weighs 1965kg. The Tesla still weighs over 200kg more.
The Tesla is heavy. Significantly heavier than its direct internal combustion equivalents.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled"
Or have they figured out how to pack more kilowatt-hours into the same physical space?
That one.
Tesla is changing the battery format it uses now that the Gigafactory is open and they produce their own cells. This new cell design is optimized for the needs of Tesla, and not other things like laptops.
One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".