Will you buy the Roadster 3.0 battery upgrade?

I've already got over 200 miles of range. This upgrade might give me another 75 miles. If the Roadster was my only EV I might think about it; but given that I have a Model S that is more comfortable for long trips and charges much faster, no way.

That is, until my battery dies. THEN I will want it, of course. Though my whole battery would likely have to die - if I can just replace a sheet for $4k rather than pay $29k for the upgrade, I would likely just replace the sheet.

If there were other benefits (performance, warranty, less weight, etc) things might be different. But it sounds like all you get for your $29k is the extra miles. (I did send in email asking about other possible benefits and will update if I learn something surprising!).

I will be more interested in the efficiency upgrades that I hope will still come some day.

josh-io said:

The Roadster 3.0 battery upgrade was announced today, priced at $29,000. It extends the Roadster's range by 35%. More info here: Tesla Accessories and Charging Adapters Roadster 3.0 Battery Upgrade

Poll question: will you buy the Roadster 3.0 battery upgrade?

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Once the range is enough adding more is irrelevant.

However that isn't the choice... once the battery dies you either pay the $29k or you put the Roadster in a shed.

josh-io said:

I'd rather have a faster Roadster than one with longer range.

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Amen. I'd even take a lighter Roadster with less range. But not a heavier Roadster with more range.

It would probably be wise to wait for the gigafactory to make batteries cheaper, right?

*crossing fingers*

If the GF can make similar cells at 2/3 the price, and assuming roughly $5k is transportation and labor, then that could lower the price to $21k in, say, 2 years.

That would indeed be better for those of us that can wait. Of course, just having cheaper batteries available (and are they really available if they are all allocated for S/X/III/powerwall production?) does not necessarily mean that Tesla will lower the price right away. They took almost 7 years to lower the original $36k price to replace the battery. It would be nice if they did though; especially if their intention is not to make money on this program.

We want to know more - warranty, consideration of existing battery warranty/replacement, cost of other options, etc.

ChadS said:

*crossing fingers*

If the GF can make similar cells at 2/3 the price, and assuming roughly $5k is transportation and labor, then that could lower the price to $21k in, say, 2 years.

That would indeed be better for those of us that can wait. Of course, just having cheaper batteries available (and are they really available if they are all allocated for S/X/III/powerwall production?) does not necessarily mean that Tesla will lower the price right away. They took almost 7 years to lower the original $36k price to replace the battery. It would be nice if they did though; especially if their intention is not to make money on this program.

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Not sure I agree... even if the cost goes down in 2 years, why would Tesla make the battery cheaper to buy?

It is not like you can choose not to buy a battery or buy a battery from somewhere else, and you have already purchased the car so no pressure to compete with other new cars to win the sale.

My current pack has a fault(some kind of sensor issue) and needed to be replaced anyways. It was going to cost $5500 to replace with a refurbished pack so I will just put that money toward a 3.0 pack.

nick said:

Not sure I agree... even if the cost goes down in 2 years, why would Tesla make the battery cheaper to buy?

It is not like you can choose not to buy a battery or buy a battery from somewhere else, and you have already purchased the car so no pressure to compete with other new cars to win the sale.

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I agree they don't HAVE to lower the price; in fact I pointed out they took a long time doing so this time.

But I explained that they said they are not trying to make money on this; they are trying to keep the battery replacement costs down so that people are not afraid to buy Teslas. If they wanted to keep the prices up, they didn't have to lower it today.

I placed an order for the new 3.0 battery. My Ideal Range on a Standard charge is just 160. I drive a lot for my work. Will really appreciate the added range!
It will be years before Tesla offers a less expensive Roadster battery, if ever. The new Roadster 3.0 battery certainly uses a different cell type than what the Gigafactory will produce for the S, X, and 3. So Gigafactory production will likely not result in a cheaper Roadster battery any time soon.

How do you want us to respond if we expect to eventually purchase the 3.0 upgrade, but don't anticipate doing it for at least a couple years? And like several people have said, there are a lot of unanswered questions so I can't say I have enough information to answer this poll right now.

hcsharp said:

How do you want us to respond if we expect to eventually purchase the 3.0 upgrade, but don't anticipate doing it for at least a couple years? And like several people have said, there are a lot of unanswered questions so I can't say I have enough information to answer this poll right now.

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+1
I voted "still thinking about it" but my thought mirrors hcsharp's

My answer is yes - some time in the next 7 years.

When there are more details on the weight, PEM improvements, warranty, and performance implications I will be able to nail down the timing.

I don't see option of "Already ordered battery upgrade". I just checked Yes instead.

I plan to wait and see what those who buy the battery say about it. How much extra weight is there and how does it affect handling? I get 190 miles in range mode at freeway speeds--and I only would like more miles about 4 times a year. Hmmm.... $30 grand for 4 times a year? Pretty expensive!!

Do we think Tesla will ever stop making Roadster batteries?
I'd love to have the 3.0 but realistically should wait about 5 or ...10?? years until my current pack is near the end.

Checking "Still thinking about it"

My pre-announcement criteria was, if based on price, under $20k automatic Yes; more than $40k automatic No. So, it's in the grey zone. Now, there are trips I don't consider taking, for lack of range to destination, that this would put be within range for; that's good. But I'd only do them infrequently, so why bother?

I think my main motiviation for getting it would be to have the new battery (and warranty), on the most expensive part of the car. I generally keep my cars for 15+ years, and I got this one with 5 years already on it, so starting over with a new battery would be good.

Speaking of which... How many do they expect to take it? At "2 to 3 per week" production, covering, say, 25% of the current fleet of cars would take something like 5 years to just make them all. If, 5 years from now, I could spring for the new battery, that might be the best option. And by then, they'd have any production bugs ironed out.

Also checked "still thinking". This is not enough information for a decision, such as a: What batteries are these - is there a track record to give us an idea as to how they'll hold up vs. what we have now? Warranty on them? b: What about the aero, brake, bearing, tire upgrades? Included? Separate? How much? c: How long will this be available? d: How much weight added/effect on 0-60? e: The original info was they did a 340 mile run, with 20 miles left = 360 miles. But 35% over the original range of 245 = 330 miles - where did those extra 30 miles go?