Waiting on Tesla Battery Day News Today

[Blue531]

Is anyone else patiently or impatiently waiting for the anticipated exciting news to come this afternoon?

 

[njhowie]

Folks are already disappointed as Musk tweeted that anything announced will not show up in products for quite some time.

 

[VanWinkle]

No, not excited or waiting. Battery development will continue to improve with all of us owning electric cars at some point. There will be new problems to solve that we have not heard of yet. Environmental problems will be part of the results, but we will find ways to reduce the impact.

 

[Markola]

Until they figure out how I can seamlessly drive cross-country without recharging friction, I’m not really interested. The Chevy Volt seemed like the range solution to me, with its small gas engine that charges the battery, but the industry seems to be going in the direction of 100% electric plug in.

 

[Midpack]

Until they figure out how I can seamlessly drive cross-country without recharging friction, I’m not really interested. The Chevy Volt seemed like the range solution to me, with its small gas engine that charges the battery, but the industry seems to be going in the direction of 100% electric plug in.

The “industry” didn’t change direction, customers did by losing interest in the Volt - partly because tax credits ran out. No PHEV/plug in hybrid models have been successful that I know of. We looked at the Prius PHEV, it made no sense whatsoever for the price.

 

[MRG]

I'm patient. Owning one for three months has been the greatest driving ever. I'm a convert, driving an ICE vehicle makes me question why.

 

[Fermion]

We took a load of OSB across the mountains in our ICE van, was about 3400 pounds. I have serious doubts we would have made it up the first mountain pass using a EV.

However, when they come out with the cybertruck or a van with a 500 mile range, I am there!

 

[CaptTom]

I'm a convert, driving an ICE vehicle makes me question why.

One word: Range.

In the next week, I plan a 600-mile trip (each way.) I already know where I'm going to stop, half-way, and take on 10-11 gallons of gas. The whole break, including stopping at a sub shop for lunch, will take me about 15 minutes.

Granted, I only make this trip a couple of times a year. The rest of the time, I would love to have an EV. But owning another vehicle doesn't make financial sense at this point.

Another point that's sometimes forgotten is that range decreases in the middle of summer and winter, when you need a lot of heat or air conditioning.

I agree that we're almost there. Advances in battery technology, more charging stations, and faster charging capabilities are closing the gap. As more people buy EVs, production ramps up, lowering costs to help compete with IC engines.

The fundemental problem has always been to match the energy density, and ease of storage, of gasoline and diesel. Hydrogen, LPG, LNG, and liquid biofuels have all shown promise, but never quite managed to come out ahead. It's looking like electric may finally get us out of the fossil fuel age.

 

[njhowie]

One word: Range.

Price

When the price of EVs come down to below $20,000 and the range is significantly increased, then I may consider one.

 

[MRG]

One word: Range.

In the next week, I plan a 600-mile trip (each way.) I already know where I'm going to stop, half-way, and take on 10-11 gallons of gas. The whole break, including stopping at a sub shop for lunch, will take me about 15 minutes.

Granted, I only make this trip a couple of times a year. The rest of the time, I would love to have an EV. But owning another vehicle doesn't make financial sense at this point.

Another point that's sometimes forgotten is that range decreases in the middle of summer and winter, when you need a lot of heat or air conditioning.

I agree that we're almost there. Advances in battery technology, more charging stations, and faster charging capabilities are closing the gap. As more people buy EVs, production ramps up, lowering costs to help compete with IC engines.

The fundemental problem has always been to match the energy density, and ease of storage, of gasoline and diesel. Hydrogen, LPG, LNG, and liquid biofuels have all shown promise, but never quite managed to come out ahead. It's looking like electric may finally get us out of the fossil fuel age.

One word: Supercharger.

I live in a very remote area, nearest Supercharger is 100 miles away but it's easy to charge at home get on the SC network and go.

 

[njhowie]

One word: Supercharger.

I live in a very remote area, nearest Supercharger is 100 miles away but it's easy to charge at home get on the SC network and go.

This is not a solution in my mind. It has to be non-proprietary and as widely available as a gas station.

If I go on a trip, I don't want to have to plan my trip around refueling. I want to get in the car and go. If I'm getting low on fuel, I want a refueling station at the next exit. I also don't want to have to wait around 30 minutes to an hour to top up or have to wait for others ahead of me to get their 30 minutes to an hour to refuel.

 

[mountainsoft]

Price

When the price of EVs come down to below $20,000 and the range is significantly increased, then I may consider one.

Yep, price is my biggest deterrence for electric cars right now. Actually, any NEW car, gas engines included, is out of my price range. I only buy used cars that are at least 10 years old, so until used EV's trickle down to my 3K to 10K price level I probably won't own one (even though I would LOVE to own an EV).

I'm not overly concerned with range. 95% of the time I drive less than 50 miles a day, usually much less. Charging at home would easily cover that. An EV would be ideal as a daily commuter or grocery getter. The only exception would be long road trips. Right now having an ICE car would still be an advantage in that situation.

Personally, I think charging stations should be setup in places where I'll be spending time anyway. Think restaurants, grocery stores, and shopping malls. I'm already going to be there for 30 minutes or more, so it's a logical place to plug-in while I'm busy. It doesn't make sense to me to pull off the highway and twiddle my thumbs at a dedicated station with nothing to do for 30 minutes.

Oh, and just a basic car that doesn't look like a computer inside. I don't want a bunch of flashy gadgets and screens, just a simple affordable driveable car.

 

[cbo111]

This "battery day" is in conjunction with today's shareholders meeting. The focus is not on current consumers, but the future (for shareholders). Nevertheless, I am a big Tesla fan and have a CD at Navy Fed that matures in 15 months that is earmarked for a model Y.

 

[NYEXPAT]

Stock is 4% cheaper then yesterday! Thats exciting news, though I expect to buy much lower.

 

[bobandsherry]

Tweet by Musk threw water on the fire. A theory could be Musk did that to prevent people from waiting to buy cars. If they announce something really earth shattering people would delay purchasing Tesla cars and that's not good for the stock. And all the people who have current Tesla's would see their value drop. Hard to believe Tesla delayed this for 5 months now and Musk is saying not much to say.

 

[aja8888]

Is anyone else patiently or impatiently waiting for the anticipated exciting news to come this afternoon?

No. Not interested.

 

[pj.mask]

Yes - very excited about the potential. Have cybertruck on order so hopefully updates or related announcements. I think charging stops for road trips are not desired but when I factor in not having to stop for gas 90% of the time and that my longer trips will likely be 1 charge stop. Hopefully by the time I retire (next car) this won’t be an issue.

 

[NW-Bound]

Not at all excited, but curious to see what will be promised.

Last year, I discovered the video of the "Autonomy Day" presentation on Youtube a couple of months late, and watched it in its entirety to see what was promised: Tesla 3 would be running around town as robot taxis in 2020. Tesla 3 car owners would be able to sign up for their cars to serve as taxis to generate some revenue.

There are still 3 months left in the year, but it would take a miracle for it to happen, meaning for Tesla cars to be truly autonomous. Tesla cars are just now barely able to read traffic lights and stop signs (with what reliability?), while Waymo cars have been doing that for years. And I still see Waymo cars around town with a safety driver.

Waymo cars have lidars among the sensor suite, while Tesla cars do not have lidars, but that is of no relevance. Lidars detect obstacles, but do not read traffic lights or stop signs. The computer uses vision cameras for that, and Tesla cars have them as the primary sensors.

 

[aja8888]

Not at all excited, but curious to see what will be promised.

Last year, I discovered the video of the "Autonomy Day" presentation on Youtube a couple of months late, and watched it in its entirety to see what was promised: Tesla 3 would be running around town as robot taxis in 2020. Tesla 3 car owners would be able to sign up for their cars to serve as taxis to generate some revenue.

There are still 3 months left in the year, but it would take a miracle for it to happen, meaning for Tesla cars to be truly autonomous. Tesla cars are just now barely able to read traffic lights and stop signs (with what reliability?), while Waymo cars have been doing that for years. And I still see Waymo cars around town with a safety driver.

Waymo cars have lidars among the sensor suite, while Tesla cars do not have lidars, but that is of no relevance. Lidars detect obstacles, but do not read traffic lights or stop signs. The computer uses vision cameras for that, and Tesla cars have them as the primary sensors.

My neighbor with a Model 3 (yes, there are some in Texas!) is still waiting for the call for his to be used as a taxi. He's 75, so maybe he should not get too excited about this and use his "remaining time" for a better purpose?

 

[foxfirev5]

My 16 year old Lexus and 5 year old Chevy are barely used anymore. The price of fuel is not a factor at all. Perhaps this does not bode well for the urgency of EV. Heck I put more gas in my pontoon boat than my car this summer.

 

[NW-Bound]

My neighbor with a Model 3 (yes, there are some in Texas!) is still waiting for the call for his to be used as a taxi. He's 75, so maybe he should not get too excited about this and use his "remaining time" for a better purpose?

Promises not backed up with a written contract are worthless and easy to make. Used car salesmen do that all the time.

I am very interested in battery technology, the same as I am with self-driving car technology. I will wait a few days, and watch the Youtube video covering today's Tesla event to see what transpired.

I have read about "nanophosphate" battery, and also lithium ceramic cells that are already in production. There is already a technology called lithium-titanate that has some advantages such as long life and fast-charging capability. However, this LTO battery is expensive and does not have the energy density of the common lithium cell. The earlier mentioned battery types also have some drawbacks. I like to know about the technology that Tesla is working on.

About the term "million-mile battery", it is funny how people can be hyped up due to their own ignorance. For example, I saw the following published just now on a business Web site:

Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk is expected to unveil a "million-dollar battery" soon — perhaps during the company's Tuesday "Battery Day" event. The new battery is speculated to last for a million miles after one charge.

Good heaven! A battery that could propel a car for 1,000,000 miles on a single charge needed to store more than 300,000 kWh. That means this super battery could hold 3,000 times more charge than the currently largest Tesla car battery. I could use it for my home energy storage, and its charge would power my home for 18 years! Its stored energy would be worth $36,000. Such a battery would be extremely valuable, even if it were disposable and not rechargeable.

NO!

The following is a good explanation for people who are still mixed up about this (there are plenty of people who do not know about this subject, but some of them don't know that they should not be writing articles about it).

A million-mile battery does not mean you can drive a million miles between recharges. It means a battery that will last for 1 million miles or more before it can't hold a charge strong enough to power an electric car anymore. Regular recharges every few hundred miles would still be needed to keep a car or truck powered.

Today's batteries face limits on the number of times they can be recharged. Right now, most car batteries are rated to handle about 1,000 full charges total. Manufacturer warranties on car batteries top out at about eight years and 150,000 miles — which is proving conservative, as car batteries in general are outlasting their warranties. A battery that lasts 1 million miles could handle 4,000 full recharges or more.

A "million-mile" battery will be useful for energy storage, not just for cars. And that's what the world needs to go green.

 

[cbo111]

My shareholder friend just reported this from today’s meetings:
54% increase in range (in 2.5 to 3 yrs).
Less cost. $25,000 car is coming in 3 yrs. Tesla/Elon are dedicated to affordability.
Model S Plaid by end of 2021: 200 mph. 2 sec, 0 to 60 mph. Less than 9 sec in 1/4 mile.
I cannot imagine the feeling of driving 0-60 in 2 seconds!

 

[cbo111]

Shareholder meeting and battery day can be viewed on https://livestream.tesla.com

The interesting stuff starts at about the one-hour mark.

 

[bobandsherry]

Here's the market response in AH trading.

Guess market didn't find it exciting.

 

[gerntz]

My shareholder friend just reported this from today’s meetings:
54% increase in range (in 2.5 to 3 yrs).
Less cost. $25,000 car is coming in 3 yrs. Tesla/Elon are dedicated to affordability.
Model S Plaid by end of 2021: 200 mph. 2 sec, 0 to 60 mph. Less than 9 sec in 1/4 mile.
I cannot imagine the feeling of driving 0-60 in 2 seconds!

How does 200mph & 2 sec 0-60 help the average person? I mean how many are drag racers or care to be so? Seems like a waste vs. improving range & affordability imo.