A battery pack producer has launched a brand new resolution for Tesla Roadster with ageing battery packs. It could slash the automobile’s weight by about 400 lbs, however it’s not low-cost.
In some ways, the Tesla Roadster sparked the electrical car revolution.
It was the primary commercially accessible shopper EV with lithium battery cells – enabling over 200 miles of vary on a single cost.
The car had comparable or higher efficiency than many different gas-powered autos in its phase.
The Roadster had its drawback. It was a suboptimal resolution because it was nonetheless closely primarily based on the Lotus Elise and never designed from the bottom as much as be electrical, however it did its job as a proof-of-concept.
Tesla solely manufactured about 2,000 of them between 2008 and 2011 earlier than transferring on to the Mannequin S and different car applications that have been constructed to be electrical from the bottom up.
Regardless of being 13 to 16 years outdated, many Roadsters are nonetheless doing properly. Electrek’s personal Jamie Dow drives his day by day. That’s regardless of Tesla not doing something with the Roadster program since 2017 when it launched the Roadster 3.0 substitute pack.
Battery know-how has improved quite a bit since then, and an organization has determined to reap the benefits of that and provide a brand new battery pack for Tesla Roadster house owners.
re/cell, a Texas-based provider of remanufactured battery packs for EVs, has unveiled a brand new Roadster battery pack that goals to slash lots of of kilos off of the sports activities automobile.
In contrast to Tesla’s newest autos, that are outfitted with skateboard-like platform battery packs, the Roadster has a pack that sits behind the seats within the again and the modules are within the form seen above.
It does trigger issues with balancing the load of the car.
The pack is ready to obtain the Roadster’s peak energy output, however it must be much more enjoyable to drive by shaving as much as 400 lbs off of the automobile’s unique 2,877 lb (1,305 kg) weight.
It does include a decrease power capability than the unique 53 kWh, however it is best to have the ability to obtain very related vary (over 220 miles) due to the effectivity acquire from the load loss.
Listed below are the total specs of re/cell’s new Roadster battery substitute pack:
- Peak Energy Output: 260 kW / 285 kW
- Weight Financial savings: as much as 400 lbs / 180 kg
- Quantity Financial savings: 3.7 cu ft / 100 liters
- Vitality Capability: 38 kWh / 47 kWh
- Rated Vary: 220-240 miles / 350-390 km
- Cell Kind: 18650 / 3500 mAh
- Cell Configuration: 31p99s / 39p99s
re/cell describes among the enhancements that they have been capable of make to the pack:
The revolutionary cooling-block design is a single-piece molded core with Palladium-class cooling ribbons for improved cooling and temperature administration. The contact space for warmth switch is 50x bigger than the cooling tubes used within the unique Roadster sheets and the general floor space for cooling and heating is now greater than double. No extra vacant cooling voids permitting for warm spots or uneven cooling or heating – the complete cell is now totally encapsulated and temperature managed!
Nonetheless, this provide will not be going to be for everybody since Roadster house owners should be prepared to take a position $28,000 of their ageing car, which is the worth of the pack should you give your present pack to re/cell.
Apparently, the corporate can be eager about providing different upgrades that may be enabled by area freed up by the brand new pack.
For instance, re/cell believes it will be simpler to make the pack able to DC fast-charging. liquid cooling for the PEM and Motor
Electrek’s Take
I actually loved driving the Roadster 3.0, and I’d be curious to see how a lot better it will deal with with 14% much less weight.
There are simply no different electrical autos on the market that weigh simply 2,400 lbs. Even a Fiat 500e weighs practically 3,000 lbs.
I can’t look forward to small electrical sports activities automobiles round 2,500 lbs. They need to be a lot enjoyable and it feels like this, regardless of not being designed from the bottom up for it, may very well be an attention-grabbing preview.
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