Why no 40kwh battery for X?

[richkae]

I wonder what the reason is for no 40kwh model X

If the X has a 10% range penalty over the S then a 40kwh X is only a 145 mile car.
Does Tesla think that is too limited?

Another factor might be that the model X is likely to be more expensive. do they think nobody will buy a $60k 145 mile SUV when $10k more bumps you to a 210 mile SUV?

[ElSupreme]

I think Tesla wants to maintain very long range as a minimum requirement for their cars. I doubt they will produce a car with less range than the 40kWh pack ever.

[AnOutsider]

If the X has a 10% range penalty over the S then a 40kwh X is only a 145 mile car.

If we go with the EPA's expected .7 rating, the 40kw pack in the S would get you 112 miles. Lob off 10% of that and you barely clear 100 miles 9and hopefully the EPA's numbers are at 65MPH). A 100 mile range SUV isn't likely very desirable (I know I wouldn't bother). 150 miles at the base end probably seems more palatable.

Plus maybe the larger vehicle requires more power draw than the smaller pack can handle comfortably? Just speculating...

[doug]

There's range, available power, and I'd guess they also they probably get better margins on the larger battery packs.

[VolkerP]

The 40kWh pack is the lightest of all current packs so would compromise the low center of gravity a bit. The 60 and 85kWh packs are nearly same weight so Tesla can optimize suspension settings on that.

[Rifleman]

I have the feeling that Tesla intends to phase out the 40kw pack over the next few years. It is important for the model S, as they need to have a variant at a lower price point, and benefits me, as the only variant of the model S I can afford is the 40 (and even that is a stretch). As battery prices drop, the 40 will be phased out, and hopefully we will so the price points on the 60 kw pack slide down to be more in line with the 40. By the time the Model X will be on the road (still a bit out) The 40 kw pack will probably only have a year or two left of production, and it simply does not make sense to put the effort into building a model X variant that uses it.

[dsm363]

I agree. I think it's all about the range and margins. The car is the same cost to build and selling a maybe ~100 mile realistic range car with low margins doesn't appeal to them and would likely be used as ammo by certain bloggers on why EVs are so limited with range.

[Doug_G]

Simple answer: they didn't promise to bring out a $50,000 Model X. So they didn't.

[dadaleus]

Exactly. When I saw the S options, I immediately thought the 40kwh only existed in order to fulfill the promise of a $50k car. I suspect Elon regrets having to offer such a limited range and strongly believes EVs need to come with longer ranges standard in order to overcome the whole range anxiety silliness. JB has talked about how they set out to build a 300mile range car when they started Tesla, because they believe that's the range that eliminates range anxiety. I also suspect he believes (as I do) that cars like the Leaf contribute to the feeling of a lot of consumers that EVs can't be primary cars. There's another thread of most common questions Roadster owners get. 90+% of questions I get go to the topic of worrying about running out of battery.