ecomento.com: Tesla Motors is moving ahead with plans to open battery swapping stations in California, CEO Elon Musk said during a question-and-answer session with owners in the Netherlands.
The session was one of several stops on Musk’s European tour, where he and Tesla CTO J.B. Straubel talked face-to-face with owners. Among the topics Musk discussed was the deployment of battery-swapping stations between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The trial stations were announced last June when Tesla demonstrated its battery-swapping technology by staging a “race” against a gas pump (guess what won).
Musk said the stations should be online in a few months, and that Tesla will gauge customer interest before considering any expansion of the network.
Each station uses the same machinery employed at the Tesla factory to swap a Model S battery pack in around 90 seconds.
Tesla previously said it would charge owners $60 to $80 a month for the service, though Forbes speculated that owners would be required to pick up their original battery packs at some point.
Battery-swapping will offer Tesla owners a faster alternative to the existing network Supercharger fast-charging stations, which are free to use. At some point, Musk believes owners may choose one over the other.
“As the charging gets better the need for a pack swap gets much less,” Musk said at the Netherlands event, “So it kind of is a bit of a race between the two.”
Customer interest aside, Tesla’s continued interest in battery swapping may depend on the technology’s eligibility for California zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) credits.
As Green Car Reports notes, battery swapping counts as a “fast refueling” technology under the California regulations, which means more potential credits.
The California Air Resources Board – which is in charge of the ZEV rules – considered making battery swapping ineligible, but it hasn’t made a decision so far. If swapping is no longer an option under the rules, it will become significantly less attractive to Tesla.
While the long-term future of battery-swapping remains uncertain, Tesla is preparing a host of updates for the Model S. At the same talk, Musk said the company will launch Version 6.0 of its software in a few weeks.
It may also offer an all-wheel drive version and larger battery-pack options, possibly by next year. Musk also discussed a software-development kit, which would allow third-party developers to create apps for the car. However, there is no firm timeline for this feature either.
The session was one of several stops on Musk’s European tour, where he and Tesla CTO J.B. Straubel talked face-to-face with owners. Among the topics Musk discussed was the deployment of battery-swapping stations between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The trial stations were announced last June when Tesla demonstrated its battery-swapping technology by staging a “race” against a gas pump (guess what won).
Musk said the stations should be online in a few months, and that Tesla will gauge customer interest before considering any expansion of the network.
Each station uses the same machinery employed at the Tesla factory to swap a Model S battery pack in around 90 seconds.
Tesla previously said it would charge owners $60 to $80 a month for the service, though Forbes speculated that owners would be required to pick up their original battery packs at some point.
Battery-swapping will offer Tesla owners a faster alternative to the existing network Supercharger fast-charging stations, which are free to use. At some point, Musk believes owners may choose one over the other.
“As the charging gets better the need for a pack swap gets much less,” Musk said at the Netherlands event, “So it kind of is a bit of a race between the two.”
Customer interest aside, Tesla’s continued interest in battery swapping may depend on the technology’s eligibility for California zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) credits.
As Green Car Reports notes, battery swapping counts as a “fast refueling” technology under the California regulations, which means more potential credits.
The California Air Resources Board – which is in charge of the ZEV rules – considered making battery swapping ineligible, but it hasn’t made a decision so far. If swapping is no longer an option under the rules, it will become significantly less attractive to Tesla.
While the long-term future of battery-swapping remains uncertain, Tesla is preparing a host of updates for the Model S. At the same talk, Musk said the company will launch Version 6.0 of its software in a few weeks.
It may also offer an all-wheel drive version and larger battery-pack options, possibly by next year. Musk also discussed a software-development kit, which would allow third-party developers to create apps for the car. However, there is no firm timeline for this feature either.
