SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
You may have heard about Tesla's "insane mode," which accelerates a sedan from 0 to 60 mph in a mindboggling 3.2 seconds. But Tesla is already moving ahead with something even better: A "ludicrous mode" that sends you from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds.
Shaving off half a second may not sound like much. But the $10,000 option on the Model S shows off some of the advances in battery technology that Tesla is building into its newer cars. Under ludicrous speed, said Musk, the car will accelerate at 1.1 times the force of gravity.
...
The Model S is also getting a battery capacity upgrade from 85 kilowatt-hours to 90 kWh, an increase of around 6 percent that will cost existing owners about $3,000 if they choose to upgrade. Not everyone should be upgrading every year, though, as Tesla expects to add around 5 percent capacity to its batteries every year on average. That translates to a roughly 5 percent annual increase in range. Musk said he expects most customers to upgrade batteries once every three to four years.
Not too much longer before "range anxiety" becomes an ICE problem.
Original Submission
(Score: 2) by BasilBrush on Sunday July 19 2015, @01:33PM
Well I don't know what it's like in the states, but in Europe as well as a maximum working day for drivers, there are compulsory rest breaks at least every 4.5 hours.
Back to the topic: Really, the Tesla S range isn't an issue. When you've driven the full range, it's time you took a break anyway. And a supercharger will give a give a fair boost to the batteries whilst you do so.
Hurrah! Quoting works now!
(Score: 1) by tftp on Sunday July 19 2015, @03:23PM
When you've driven the full range, it's time you took a break anyway.
A pause in driving is not the same as a pause in moving. There may be two adults in the car - say, a family. They can drive non-stop and still have enough rest. Very few people would like to spend 1-2 hours more on the road just for the pleasure of driving an EV - even if there are superchargers on the way. But plenty of rural highways don't even have gas stations on every corner. An EV would be a poor choice currently for driving in rural areas.
(Score: 2) by BasilBrush on Sunday July 19 2015, @08:13PM
A pause in driving is not the same as a pause in moving. There may be two adults in the car - say, a family.
Sure, there MIGHT be. But you're just cutting down the number of people affected, and the number of time affected even more, considering that most cars are driven by one person most of the time.
Very few people would like to spend 1-2 hours more on the road
Supercharger rates are 280-300miles added per hour. There is no second hour. Most people in most cases only supercharge for about 30 mins as the battery is unlikely to be empty, and there's probably no need to charge to the very top.
An EV would be a poor choice currently for driving in rural areas.
That is true for now. You can go cross country but for now you have to choose your routes - or rather let the car tell you what the good routes are. But the gaps won't take that long to fill at the rate they are expanding.
Hurrah! Quoting works now!