Several threads have popped up recently showing the Tesla battery pack and connection configuration:
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/34934-Pics-Info-Inside-the-battery-pack
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/31831-Battery-interior-and-Repair-of-Model-S
In particular this image (battery connector going to vehicle junction box - for motor inverter, supercharger, on-board charger, DC-DC, HVAC):
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=50608&d=1401571618
And the CAN bus / vehicle bus connectors:
http://vpn.wizkid057.com/nas/teslapack/2014-08-19 19.36.40.jpg
The connectors have no obvious way they could unlatch via automated mechanisms. It looks like a hand-insert connector. How does Tesla plan to implement this? The connectors don't look particularly durable. Maybe rated for 100 cycles. You can already see corrosion on the terminals of the CAN bus interface from being disconnected so long. (Normally, they'd be mated together so there would be limited chance for corrosion. But if Tesla plan to store 50+ packs, in the very least, they'll have to keep them in a controlled environment. i.e. low humidity, managed temperature, no condensation.)
It should be noted that I want to see battery swapping as much as anyone else, but I don't see it happening. It seems like it would be too expensive to practically implement, compared to the supercharger / fast-DC charge network.
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/34934-Pics-Info-Inside-the-battery-pack
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/31831-Battery-interior-and-Repair-of-Model-S
In particular this image (battery connector going to vehicle junction box - for motor inverter, supercharger, on-board charger, DC-DC, HVAC):
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=50608&d=1401571618
And the CAN bus / vehicle bus connectors:
http://vpn.wizkid057.com/nas/teslapack/2014-08-19 19.36.40.jpg
The connectors have no obvious way they could unlatch via automated mechanisms. It looks like a hand-insert connector. How does Tesla plan to implement this? The connectors don't look particularly durable. Maybe rated for 100 cycles. You can already see corrosion on the terminals of the CAN bus interface from being disconnected so long. (Normally, they'd be mated together so there would be limited chance for corrosion. But if Tesla plan to store 50+ packs, in the very least, they'll have to keep them in a controlled environment. i.e. low humidity, managed temperature, no condensation.)
It should be noted that I want to see battery swapping as much as anyone else, but I don't see it happening. It seems like it would be too expensive to practically implement, compared to the supercharger / fast-DC charge network.
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