"Here's a new worry for electric car owners: bricking your new, expensive ride. Using a word taken from the computer world, to "brick" an EV means to make your electronic device inoperable. In the case of an EV, it would mean to run the battery state of charge so far down that nothing works anymore, thus requiring an expensive flatbed tow and an even more expensive battery pack about $40,000 in a Tesla Roadster. This is the charge of Michael Degusta, who wrote a detailed post on the matter in which he claims there have been five cases of Roadsters being bricked that he knows about. Since this is the first we've heard about it (and we imagine all those Silicon Valley Roadster owners know a thing or two about Internet communication), we're surprised we didn't hear about this before the alleged problem claimed five non-working cars. Thus, we figure there's more to the story, especially since some people are already poking holes in some of Degusta's statements. We've emailed Degusta and asked him to provide further proof of and details about these bricked cars, but he has not responded yet. For its part, Tesla has offered AutoblogGreen a fairly noncommittal statement on the matter: All automobiles require some level of owner care. For example, combustion vehicles require regular oil changes or the engine will be destroyed. Electric vehicles should be plugged in and charging when not in use for maximum performance. All batteries are subject to damage if the charge is kept at zero for long periods of time. However, Tesla avoids this problem in virtually all instances with numerous counter-measures. Tesla batteries can remain unplugged for weeks (even months), without reaching zero state of charge. Owners of Roadster 2.0 and all subsequent Tesla products can request that their vehicle alert Tesla if SOC falls to a low level. All Tesla vehicles emit various visual and audible warnings if the battery pack falls below 5 percent SOC. Tesla provides extensive maintenance recommendations as part of the customer experience. It's also true that all vehicles will require some attention if they sit unused too long, and people know what happens if you leave your laptop unplugged for two weeks. In the owner's manual for the Roadster 2.0/Roadster Sport, Tesla does say that "Over-discharge can permanently damage the Battery" and that "If storing for more than 15 days, it is strongly recommended that you keep it plugged in" (see the full section on "Leaving the vehicle unplugged" after the jump, or download the manual in PDF here), but it doesn't specify what sort of damage that is, or how expensive it might be to fix it. Tesla spokesman Ricardo Reyes did tell AutoblogGreen that he is working to demystify the situation and will get back to us with more information." http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/22/...id10|htmlws-main-bb|dl5|sec1_lnk3&pLid=137834 Hmmmmmmmm........... I know Obamaprompter want's us all to be forced to make the Gubment Motors: Chevy Volt, (or fer the 1%; the Tesla Roadster), our primary automobile........ Mesef..... I'd buy the good ol' fashond 2012 Boss 302 n' blow the doors off that pig... snort... snort...... @ 26 MPG n' 440 horses, (BTW it is underrated; it prolly has 500), n' I could drive ta LA without a worry in the ol' Mustang..... n' do the quarter mile in 11 seconds..... burp..... 'Course..... I do have one functional brain cell....... (which prevents me from bein' a Liberal/Progressive/Socialist/Commie/Statist termite n' all that good stuff....... burp.....
Batteries have some significant problems. If you let them discharge too far, they can't be recharge without extensive reconditioning. If you leave them discharged too long, the chemicals eat away the plates. A series string is limited by the weakest cell, so there is an attempt to make sure all the cells are equal, but equal under heavy discharge is different than at a light discharge. If the string is discharged too far (and that changes with the age of the batteries), the weak cell will discharge fully, then actuall try to charge in the reverse direction. That kills the cell, and makes the string worthless. You can't just replace the bad cell, being newer, it will be stronger than the rest of the cells - the whole string must be replaced. Many years ago I build a battery back-up for a military application. To catch a battery before damage was done I monitored the voltage of each battery, and compared it to the average (36 batteries, 3 parallel strings of 12). When a battery deviated too far from the average (during charge, or discharge), I triggered an alarm, indicating the battery. That was deemed too expensive, and replaced with a low voltage indicator.
It's very amusing to see confused rightwingers always grasping at straws to support their pro-oil, anti-progress agenda. What with all of the bells and whistles Tesla motors has included to notify owners if their batteries are running low, there will very likely be far fewer people in the future who let their batteries completely discharge then there are people now who let their cars completely run out of oil, turning their engine into a "brick" that requires total replacement. Moreover, new developments in battery technology will very soon make this problem obsolete. Here's a couple of good debunkings of this propaganda. Tesla Battery 'Bricking': The Real Story Behind The Scare Feb 22, 2012 The Tesla Bricking Story? Its Nonsense February 22nd, 2012
Livefree: "It's very amusing to see confused rightwingers always grasping at straws to support their pro-oil, anti-progress agenda. I wish it were amusing to see the lengths liberals will go to in their attempts to seize wealth and power. It isn't amusing. With their anti-business, anti-progress return to 1917 agenda it's simply idiotic. Imagine if a company not supported by socialists had a product that self-destructed and wasn't covered by warranty. Imagine the outrage and then read the cheering for Tesla. Imagine the outrage if Toyata had a car that burst into flames. But, for the leftists, no outrage. Just demands for more and more and more tax money to give to friends and family. I wonder how we got automobiles, airplanes, television, electric lights, and even personal computers without the help of socialists. And, while we're at it. Where are the outraged demands from leftists for more regulation of electric vehicles. Where are the demands for Tesla to be forced to unionize?
The main problem with the Tesla is its price at over $100K and a fairly limited range of 200 miles. The reliance on 6,831 individual lithium cells, to me, seems a bit problematic as well as monitoring individual cell failure may not be all that accurate. Performance is great however as electric power has virtually no 'lag' time and the car qualifies as a high performance vehicle.
The private sector will get there all by itsef, if you Progressives don't kill the private sector with yer top down Statism from central corntrol. Hmmmmmmm..........
You could buy two 2012 Boss 302 Mustangs fer $100,000; n' they would blow the doors off the electric POS......
power pack management is what makes Telsa special. once they recoup the cost of development you'll see prices drop.
you wouldn't need 2 Mustangs. the Telsa Roadster only seats two small people, the Ford holds 4 normal size grownups.
