2015 Model S 70 Battery Replacement Options

[springdaisy82]

I currently own a 2015 Model S 70. It has 142,000 miles on it, and charges up to 208 miles. Which is totally fine for me. My hope is that this care last me for a VERY long time. My question is this: When it does come time to replace the battery, what are my options? Could I get a better longer range battery installed in this car? Just thinking long term on it.

Also, if I did replace the battery, would that mean that I would not have free supercharging anymore?

Thank you!

Chris

 

[gaswalla]

you could get a new battery - 90kwh - $22k - keep your supercharging.
not a financially good idea, but yeah, you could ask Tesla for it

 

[kavyboy]

@wk057 has a company that does this sort of thing. There are a few others as well, I just don't know them.

 

[David_Cary]

There have been few (can't think of any) of 70 batteries dying. I am sure there are some but in warranty creates less of a posting need.
I have a 70 too so I pay particular attention. I have 8 months left on warranty.
I am at 103k miles with as high as 216 (but I have a D and I think there was about a 10 miles difference in range).
When you time is up, you will probably be faced with a few options at different costs. You will likely choose the cheapest which will likely be the same range as you have (maybe a bit more) - since it works for you.
I don't believe Tesla has regularly put 90 batteries in a 70 car for $22k. At various times, various stores have offered various things. But it isn't likely today that you could walk into your local store and give them a chunk of money for a bigger battery. And why would you, you are under warranty. And all 70s are under warranty (except for salvage I guess).
I can't recall any poster ever paying cash for a 70 battery replacement.

 

[Lasttoy]

ReCell in San Antonio does battery replacement

 

[royhowland]

There have been few (can't think of any) of 70 batteries dying. I am sure there are some but in warranty creates less of a posting need.
I have a 70 too so I pay particular attention. I have 8 months left on warranty.
I am at 103k miles with as high as 216 (but I have a D and I think there was about a 10 miles difference in range).
When you time is up, you will probably be faced with a few options at different costs. You will likely choose the cheapest which will likely be the same range as you have (maybe a bit more) - since it works for you.
I don't believe Tesla has regularly put 90 batteries in a 70 car for $22k. At various times, various stores have offered various things. But it isn't likely today that you could walk into your local store and give them a chunk of money for a bigger battery. And why would you, you are under warranty. And all 70s are under warranty (except for salvage I guess).
I can't recall any poster ever paying cash for a 70 battery replacement.

I also have a 70D, 84K miles, 8 months left on warranty. At 85% charge I get 189 miles so estimate 222 miles at 100%. I have done MCU2 upgrade. So far no issues with either drive train or battery. I minimize supercharging, avoid extreme temperatures and done everything possible to maximize battery life. Curious if you plan to sell when out of warranty. I'm undecided??

 

[gsmith857xx]

I have a 2016 Model S 70 with 66,000 miles. 12% degradation according to TeslaFi (207/234 rated miles). Was driving from Los Angeles to Tucson a week or so ago. Scary warning a couple hundred miles away from home - BMS_f110 (Service is required / Schedule service now) and BMW_w110 (Vehicle may not restart / Service is required). The car did make it home just fine and charging speeds did not seem to be impacted. Still driving it. Scheduled an appointment with Tesla service. After remote diagnostic they said my battery needs to be replaced but the vehicle is safe to drive. Currently scheduled early December.

Will be interesting to see which battery they replace it with. I understand if they put a bigger one in they software lock, but I'd be happy with that as the charging curve should improve. Will update in December hopefully with the replacement information.

 

[KeyserSoze]

I have a 2016 Model S 70 with 66,000 miles. 12% degradation according to TeslaFi (207/234 rated miles). Was driving from Los Angeles to Tucson a week or so ago. Scary warning a couple hundred miles away from home - BMS_f110 (Service is required / Schedule service now) and BMW_w110 (Vehicle may not restart / Service is required). The car did make it home just fine and charging speeds did not seem to be impacted. Still driving it. Scheduled an appointment with Tesla service. After remote diagnostic they said my battery needs to be replaced but the vehicle is safe to drive. Currently scheduled early December.

Will be interesting to see which battery they replace it with. I understand if they put a bigger one in they software lock, but I'd be happy with that as the charging curve should improve. Will update in December hopefully with the replacement information.

I had my battery replaced Dec 2020/Jan 2021 for my 70D and they said at the time only 90kWh are being put into our cars and they're software locked. They quoted 3k to unlock it and its worth more than that for resell right now so you could get it unlocked and sell the car for a profit depending on how much you owe on it.

 

[gsmith857xx]

I had my battery replaced Dec 2020/Jan 2021 for my 70D and they said at the time only 90kWh are being put into our cars and they're software locked. They quoted 3k to unlock it and its worth more than that for resell right now so you could get it unlocked and sell the car for a profit depending on how much you owe on it.

I want to keep the car, I'm pretty happy with the battery failing under warranty. Drive unit did at 40k. My theory is the replaced parts are better (hopeful in the battery case, I know in the drive unit case). Mostly on the battery I'm ok with it being locked but I'm assuming I'd pick up the charge curve for the new battery and that would be fantastic. Would take some of my charges from 45-50 minutes to 20ish.... huge difference. Have to do the Tucson-Los Angeles or San Diego route several times a year due to kid in competitive soccer. Free charging means I save $500 a trip over driving my big SUV.

 

[JasonA-EV]

I'm in same boat, have a 2015 70d and battery is about to give. Got the warning while out on a trip last month and also the SpC rate is dead slow also but it went away (got this msg briefly a few years ago also but Tesla said is was the 12v ) so we have a few more holiday trips planned in the following weeks and next month. Hopefully that does it and Tesla will replace with probably with a refirb'd 90.

Talk to Jason (@wk057 ) and he has a great website that will show you the options for your car.

HV Battery Service Plan | 057 Technology

057 Technology, LLC

warranty.057tech.com

That is if you want a bigger pack, however if you're happy with the 70 or an unlocked 90 that Tesla will do, then go for it!

There's a great thread here on batteries swaps, replacements, etc..

2014 S-85 is battery replacement worth it?

We've been buying a lot more bad battery S's off of people lately who just don't want to deal with it. :confused: im going to try a few more times to get the pack from a few different service centers and if it doesnt work you'll probably be hearing from me too :eek: ill be attempting to get the...

teslamotorsclub.com

Good luck and let's keep the 70 talk alive

 

[Droschke]

They quoted 3k to unlock it

For how many kWh is that?

 

[gsmith857xx]

For how many kWh is that?

It looks like it would be about 13. But the article I'm referencing is old and I've seen talk here that the 90's are a new chemistry / pack these days.

Tesla’s hacked Battery Management System exposes the real usable capacity of its battery packs

Like most automakers, Tesla measures the battery capacity of their electric vehicles by the total energy potential of the pack rather...

electrek.co

Should be an almost 19% increase in range (81.8/68.8). Of course then there is degradation to account for as it seems like these are refurbs.

 

[David_Cary]

I like the idea of keeping the 70 talk alive. I don't like that there are 70s dying....

 

[Droschke]

They quoted 3k to unlock it

For how many kWh is that?

It looks like it would be about 13

That would be $3000/13kWh=$230/kWh unlocking fee. Pretty high markup.

 

[ucmndd]

That would be $3000/13kWh=$230/kWh unlocking fee. Pretty high markup.

When the software locked “60” was first introduced, it cost a whopping $9,000 to unlock it to a 75 (which was really only like ~12 extra kWh).

It’s $2250 now for a Model S if you can find a service center that will do it. $4500 for the same procedure in a Model X (why it’s more expensive only Tesla knows).

 

[Droschke]

When the software locked “60” was first introduced, it cost a whopping $9,000 to unlock it to a 75 (which was really only like ~12 extra kWh).

It’s $2250 now for a Model S if you can find a service center that will do it. $4500 for the same procedure in a Model X (why it’s more expensive only Tesla knows).

Yes, definitely lower than what used to be. But, $230/kWh is still high IMO.

I know of a Norwegian owner who paid $700+taxes to get his P85D with 1014116-00-C replacement unlocked by 7.2kWh.

$700/7.2kWh=$97/kWh

If the additional 13kWh calculation @gsmith857xx mentioned above is correct, it shows very inconsistent unlock pricing at this time.

 

[gsmith857xx]

> If the additional 13kWh calculation @gsmith857xx mentioned above is correct, it shows very inconsistent unlock pricing at this time.

However the $3,000 I got from this thread. I will certainly ask in December when my battery is replaced and see what the current quote is. I'm not actually that interested - I'm perfectly happy charging the 70 to 100% (like 70% of the 90...) on my longest segments if I get the improved charging curve from the 90. Looking at the ABRP charts it appears the 70 had an absolutely horrible curve compared to everything else.

 

[Droschke]

However the $3,000 I got from this thread.

Yes, I know. But, I was talking about the 13kWh which came from you.

 

[RockinWithKids]

I like the idea of keeping the 70 talk alive. I don't like that there are 70s dying....

'15 70D owner here. Fully supportive of crowd sourcing any/all intel on the 70 batteries/drive train.

Additionally, legacy Tesla software updates. I started a thread for that here: Legacy Model S with MCU v1 Software/Firmware Version Thread

 

[RockinWithKids]

I had my battery replaced Dec 2020/Jan 2021 for my 70D and they said at the time only 90kWh are being put into our cars and they're software locked. They quoted 3k to unlock it and its worth more than that for resell right now so you could get it unlocked and sell the car for a profit depending on how much you owe on it.

@KeyserSoze did your Supercharger charging speeds change at all with the 90kWh pack?