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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Ultra-Expensive Brick -- Tesla Acknowledges the Potential of Their EV

Link here.
Tesla Motors' lineup of all-electric vehicles — its existing Roadster, almost certainly its impending Model S, and possibly its future Model X — apparently suffer from a severe limitation that can largely destroy the value of the vehicle. If the battery is ever totally discharged, the owner is left with what Tesla describes as a "brick": a completely immobile vehicle that cannot be started or even pushed down the street. The only known remedy is for the owner to pay Tesla approximately $40,000 to replace the entire battery. Unlike practically every other modern car problem, neither Tesla's warranty nor typical car insurance policies provide any protection from this major financial loss.
Yup.

An unrelated story.  To the best of my knowledge, all batteries lose their ability to re-charge over time. I can't imagine buying a 3-year-used Prius, knowing that I may have to replace a battery. And a 5-year-old Prius with original battery must have absolutely no re-sale value. I must be missing something on this, and I'm sure readers will tell me, but to the best of my knowledge, the batteries will have to be replaced at some point. And even before replacement, the re-charging interval lessens.

7 comments:

  1. Prius uses NiMH battery which can be allowed to self-discharge from lack of use, and be recovered. If it isn't done under external load though, the weakest cells in the series will be driven into reverse polarity, which will destroy the pack.
    All Lithium chemistry rechargable batteries die permanently if allowed to fully discharge regardless if from external load or self-discharge. It's simply a drawback of that battery chemistry.

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    1. I always feel guilty after writing less than flattering notes about electric vehicles, because I really hope they (EV) can do well. (Although based on what I write, you won't believe me, which is fine. Smile.) But once prices come down (without govt subsidies) and battery technology improves, it will all come together.

      I appreciate you taking the time to provide a bit more insight into the batteries. Thank you.

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  2. As respects the Prius and the battery situation that you describe, there seems to be a brisk demand for used batteries that come from newer Prius models that have been totaled out in car accidents. Much cheaper than buying new ones.

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    1. A market in everything! I love it! thank you for that note. That is really, really interesting.

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  3. I have a lady who works for me and she commutes quite a distance each workday. She bought a new Prius in 2004 and it just turned over 260,000 miles on same battery pack/motor with no problems or replacements. Maybe you worry too much.

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    1. Worry too much? Not about electric vehicles. In fact, there's not much I worry about any more. But I do love to opine. And that's why I blog, because my wife would get tired of my talking. Ha.

      That's quite a commute, and exactly what the Prius was made for. She made a great choice.

      I never thought I would buy a "foreign" car but I love "my" 2012 Honda Civic. On the highway, it averages about 50 miles per gallon, a conventional gasoline engine. It average 50 miles per gallon on its maiden trip from Williston, ND, to Boston, MA (averaging about 60 mph, not counting stops). Today, we just got back from Provincetown, Cape Cod, and it got about 48 miles per gallon on the open road.

      For that and several other reasons, I doubt if I will ever buy anything other than a Honda or Toyota again. (I enjoyed a Mercedes, BMW, and two Saabs while serving overseas for 13 years, but stateside it's almost always been "domestic" cars.)

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    2. This is the norm regarding the Prius:

      There are two different batteries in the Toyota Prius. There is a small 12 volt battery used for powering up the computer and powering the 12 volt accessories in the car. The other is the high voltage battery. The small 12 volt battery lasts on average 4 or 5 years. This battery is usually trouble free, unless you don't drive your Prius very much. I believe these run around $150 USD. The lifespan of the high voltage battery varies. I saw one go bad at around 90,000 miles. Another Prius made 150,000 on its high voltage battery. Expect to pay about $3,500 USD for one of these. Both of these batteries can only be purchased at your local Toyota dealer.

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