Problems plaguing Tesla Roadster

It is because the battery is made out of PC battery cells. The PC cells commonly use a battery protection circuit that will declare the cell unusable when the cell is discharged to a unsafe level. Even if you replace the bad cell, the protection circuit cannot be resetted. So either you have to replace the protection circuit or replace the whole pack.

 

I've only had a chance to read the first part. It'll be interesting to read rebuttals and responses to this.

Regarding the long extension cord, that's interesting. Over a year ago, I did hear a Roadster charging at one of their dealerships and I could hear the coolant pump running the whole time. That's even more power being wasted...errr consumed charging and less going to the battery.

I don't normally browse Tesla forums, but I'd imagine there's chatter about this there.

 

Given the details of the article, it seems the claims are accurate. If so, I think Tesla needs to have customers sign a disclaimer and really make them aware of the possiblity. No reason to understate the fact it's possible to cause $40k damage the custoer will have to pay for.

 

This isn't an issue for the LEAF per Nissan,

"The Nissan LEAF battery pack will never discharge completely, thanks to an advanced battery management system designed to protect the battery from damage. One element of the battery management system is a fail safe wall that stops the battery from reaching zero state-of-charge, even after a period of unplugged storage."

 

While this is a wonderful solution, every car requires some type of owner care to continue functioning.
Surprise, surprise, the required maintenance for an EV is different than for an ICE.
I don't see why the outrage. If you fail to replace the oil in an ICE the warranty won't cover that either.

 

...owner care (sp)

 

According to this link:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news...utm_source=GreenCarReports&utm_medium=twitter

while there may be 1 or more cases of long-term storage without any charging where Roadsters have bricked, Tesla does take many routes to warn buyers. Says this is a non-issue.

 

Such as what other problems?

Actually, typical NiMh cells have a substantially higher self-discharge rate than typical Lithium Ion cells. You can discharge a Prius NiMh pack to the point where the car no longer functions. Apparently the cells can be revived at the dealer through use of a specialized charger. I haven't heard of this happening much in practice. You would "brick" your 12V lead-acid battery well before that.

The article claims amount to a very small number of cars having battery failures because the owners didn't follow clear instructions in the car manual describing what should be done during long-term storage. PHEVs like the PiP and Volt will be less prone to this problem because they will normally stay above 20-25% minimum charge level during normal use.

 

Anyone needing a place to store and charge your Roadster, PM me. I'll even drive it for you to keep the tires nice and round.

 

^^ Me too.

 

I don't understand how this issue warrants a second look from anyone
but a Tesla owner... like Daniel, and maybe Evan.

This is exclusively a Tesla issue. It has no relevance to all the other EVs.
It says nothing about the adoptability/viability of the other EV
technologies.

Not even a tempest in a teapot...
more like teeny-tiny ripples in a thimble.

So, why all the thinly disguised FUD?
What's the unstated agenda?

 

Nonsense and FUD.
This is almost as bad as the Hummer vs Prius FUD.

There is no outrage, there are people acting incompetently and getting in trouble for it. I bet you could Brick a Leaf too if you let it sit long enough.
Lithium batteries discharge over time. IF background stuff is chewing up more power, that should be curtailed when the battery gets low. I suspect it is, but can't say for certain at the moment.

This isn't going to happen if you drive the car down to the store, park and come back an hour later. You would have to leave the car for weeks or months. Unless for some reason you would plan on driving ANY electric vehicle to an airport with only 10% charge left and leave it for days or weeks?

The need to not let the charge get to zero is well documented (overly so I would say). But no matter how well you document something, some people will ignore instructions.

While the charge depleting whether you are driving or not (at a much slower rate obviously) is not identical to oil in an ICE, both are standard care for their respective vehicles.

 

Actually none of them were. I am guessing collectors,or investors would be the most likely group to read the instructions and follow them.

There have been 0.2% of owners over 4 years that have been found to have run into this. One apparently failed to charge his vehicle because he plugged it in with an extension cord

The text message is a great idea. While it shouldn't be necessary, it would be helpful and make the system more full proof.

 

It takes 11 weeks(likely conservative estimate) for a 100% charged Roadster to reach this brick state. At 50% charge, the car would have to be unplugged and unloved for a month for this to happen. Leaving any car sit for extended periods without proper care can lead to problems.

Alright, an ICE will start up, but an engine turning over doesn't mean the brakes aren't stuck and dragging, a strut isn't seized and ready to punch through its mount and into hood, or varnishes have seperated out of the gas and building up on the valves until a push rod is bent.*

All batteries self discharge at some rate. No EV, or even hybrid, is completely immune to this. With the cost of cars being what they are, you would think people would pay more attention to the battery's care than with a 'free' cell phone.

*these actually happened to me or people I know

 

You can't drive the car down to the brick level, or more precisely you would have to actually work at getting it there by putting it into range mode and repeatedly trying to drive a little bit more after the range hit zero. Even then you might still have enough charge left to be towed or pushed to an outlet.

If there is a lack of charge points where you are going, why would you take the EV? If charging might be iffy at home, why buy one? Would you head into the desert with the fuelgauge on E without stopping at the last gas station?