

Battery Swap Pilot Program - beltex
http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/battery-swap-pilot-program

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ohsnap
Doing this for 3 extra ZEV credits in California. Unlikely to see this
anywhere else.

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ScottBurson
Seems like what's really needed is a way to swap batteries at home, so that
you can leave one pack at home to charge from your solar panels while you
drive to work with the other one, then swap in the evening when you get home.
Otherwise you'll have to charge a stationary battery during the day, then
charge the car pack from the stationary battery at night, with all the
attendant losses.

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seanflyon
That seems like an expensive way to turn your valuable daytime electricity
into less valuable nighttime electricity, but I guess it makes sense if your
goal is to disconnect from the grid.

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deeviant
As more solar power comes online, we may see the cost curve invert, where
power is cheaper in day time.

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greglindahl
And after that happens, it'll still be cheaper to charge at work than to have
a personal battery swap station.

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CodeWriter23
I'd be concerned about receiving a battery that has had more charge cycles
than mine. Kind of a good way to unwittingly shorten your vehicle's life span.

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greglindahl
... that's why you have to swap back to your original battery, which is the
one you own. For example, drive SF-LA swapping for a loaner battery; swap back
to your own battery on the way home.

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waratuman
Strange that it would cost just less than a full tank of gas. I was assuming
it would be much cheaper, not comparable to gas.

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oh_sigh
Why? The battery swap only makes sense when you are on a road trip longer than
the typical range of your battery(hundreds of miles), so it's not like Tesla
owners are going to be doing a battery swap every week. Most likely, tesla
owners will charge at home for over 99% of their trips, and maybe choose to do
a battery swap if they are on the road for a long time and don't want to wait
the 30 minutes for a super charge.

