Tesla

Tesla on battery recycling

One of the enduring issues related to battery-powered cars is what becomes of those massive batteries when they reach end of life? As one of the first companies to utllize large-scale lithium ion batteries, Tesla is addressing this problem even before they start series production. In the latest entry on the company blog, Kurt Kelly talks about the battery recycling plan including a description of the pack's construction. The 6,831 individual cells are spread among 11 modules, each of which can be individually replaced if their capacity to hold a charge drops too low. Once modules or packs are declared no longer useful, Tesla has a recycling plan set up with KBI/Toxco. Tesla will ship expended modules to Toxco for dismantling and reuse, recycling. Kelly gives a full rundown of the process.

Busting some myths, Tesla VP debunks electric Elise meme

One of the most common beliefs about the Tesla Roadster is that it's an electric Lotus Elise. The reality is that the Roadster is a descendant of the Elise but, as Darryl Siry so forcefully documents on the Tesla blog, it's a very different car. The Tesla used the Elise as a starting point because it's one of the lightest and best-handling sports cars in the world. The chassis of the Elise is made up of bonded aluminum extrusions and the basic design makes it relatively easy to modify for different applications. For an electric car with a nearly 1,000lb battery pack, minimizing the rest of the mass of the car was critical. By the time the electric powertrain and battey were added, few of the mechanical bits of the Elise were left. When I visited Tesla in January to drive the car they told me that about 15 percent of the Elise components were carried over with the rest being modified or all-new (mostly the latter). According to Darryl the number is actually be seven percent by part count. Regardless of the actual number, the fact is that this is a very different car although it does retain some of the character of the Elise, only a lot quieter. In spite of some "luxury" upgrades, this is still a pretty bare bones and hardcore sports car. Other than the Elise/Exige, you won't find a much more direct driving experience in a full bodied road legal car anywhere. It's not an electric Elise, but the heritage is there and nothing to be ashamed of.


Tesla engineer talks about developing EV traction control

There have been a veritable flurry of posts on the Tesla blog in the last few days, one of which was written by software engineer Drew Baglino. Drew was tasked last year with revamping the traction control system for the Roadster after they made a change from an analog to a digital controller for the motor control. Drew describes the development process he went through over the next several months developing a control algorithm to provide wheel spin up control as well as the equivalent of engine drag torque control (EDTC). The Roadster traction control is all done in the motor control, with no brake intervention.After developing a first cut of the software, he quickly learned that developing a slip control system goes way beyond the basic theoretical controls. Controls for closed environments like a test track with fixed maneuvers are pretty straightforward. The problem is when you start throwing in transient maneuvers and surface transitions. All of a sudden the problem becomes much more complex as Drew found when other people started driving his traction control on the road. I can definitely sympathize with Drew on this project after working as a controls and software engineer on abs/tcs and stability control systems for 17 years before quitting a few months ago. Head over to the Tesla Blog to read all about Drew's big adventure and don't forget to check out the videos after the jump.

Martin Eberhard goes solar, getting ready to plug in his new car

Deposed Tesla Motors founder Martin Eberhard only has a few more weeks to wait for delivery of his new Roadster. Series production is scheduled to start on March 17 and first car off the line that day is destined for the Eberhard family garage. In preparation for his new ride, Martin has been making some changes around the house including the installation of a solar array on the roof so that the Roadster doesn't add any load to the grid. The 5.2kW setup has been operating since November and Eberhard estimates that about two-thirds of its output will go toward energizing the Roadster. In the latest post on the Founders Blog, Martin runs through some of the ways you could calculate payback on the system. Based on just the savings from replacing grid power with solar the system pays back in twenty years. Looking at the gas that won't be used by the Roadster, the payback drops to nine and a half years. The biggest cost of the system actually turned out to be all the work involved in integrating it into the house's electrical system. Based on his personal experience, Martin proposes that new homes that are built should made solar ready so that retrofits could be a lot cheaper and easier.

Tesla's financier in chief talks about driving Roadster #1 daily

Tesla Motors' Chairman and chief fundraiser Elon Musk took delivery of the first production Roadster on February 1 and he's been driving it on a daily basis every since. He just put up a post on the Tesla company blog about his experiences so far. In general he loves his new toy, with its awesome acceleration and handling. However, it's not quite perfect. The single piece seats are devoid of adjustments other than fore-aft. If they fit your body, they're great, but if not, you're out of luck, for now. Musk has already set the engineering staff to work on re-working the seats. Once a new design is ready and validated, Tesla will offer them to owners as a free upgrade. Meanwhile, a further extra cost option will be seats custom tailored to the owner.

Tesla wants the "Big Three" to make its 3rd car

The Tesla Roadster has arrived and the company's Whitestar follow-up project is under development, but Tesla's looking for a little help with its third car, and it's reportedly turned its eye toward Motown. On Wednesday, Tesla president Darryl Siry told Greentech Media at Piper Jaffray's Clean Technology and Renewables Conference in New York City that the third vehicle from carmaker -- expected to be a compact sports car costing $30,000 to $35,000 -- will be "high volume" and that the company wants partnerships with Detroit's "Big Three" American automakers for its production.Another bit of Tesla news is that the amount the company is looking for a $75m to $100m investment from a "large Series E" equity fund this summer, and it was also confirmed that Tesla recently got a $40m investment through a bridge loan.Hmmm. Does this Big 3 talk mean Tesla is trying to sell itself? Siry says "[being purchased] is not our desired outcome."

Scoble & Musk take on Calacanis in Tesla vs. Vette showdown

It can be interesting to see what happens when geeks with money meet up for dinner in Santa Monica. You're having a pleasant meal and the next thing you know you're racing down the road in a Tesla Roadster and a Corvette, live-streaming the video from two perspectives with cell phones. Tesla chairman and financier Elon Musk, serial entrepreneur Jason Calacanis (co-founder of Weblogs Inc. of which ABG is a part) and super blogger Robert Scoble decided to go for a joy ride for dessert the other night and stream the festivities using a new service called sic. Scoble rode shotgun with Musk in production Roadster #1. Calacanis (who has a Roadster on order) was in his Corvette. Musk laid waste to the Corvette. Some guy named Ray who evidently claims to know a thing or two about cars claims this was due to Jason's inability to drive. In fact, Musk, as is his prerogative as fundraiser-in-chief at Tesla had his production model built with one of the short-lived two-speed transmissions which contributed to its extraordinary accelerative abilities. This Ray guy apparently didn't actually watch either of the two videos since Musk explained this to Scoble. Needless to say Scoble was duly impressed by the ability of the Roadster to increase its velocity with remarkably low levels of noise (at low speeds at least).
More on Tesla financing and production plansMore information has come out about Tesla Motors' plans for financing their future expansion. We already knew from statements by Chairman Elon Musk that the company was planning to go after an initial public offering within the next year or so. The Financial Times is now reporting that the company plans to raise a total of $250 million over the next two years to fund the final development of the WhiteStar and establish a manufacturing plant to turn out 10-20,000 of the electric sedans. Why so much money? Tesla had been considering entering into a partnership with another company for the production of WhiteStar. According to Tesla's Darryl Siry, "we looked very hard at a partnership with an OEM but it didn't make sense at the end of the day." The complexities of such a partnership would slow down the project and Tesla wants to keep control of more of their intellectual property. Once WhiteStar is underway, Tesla will be revisiting the idea of a partnership of some kind to produce a third, higher-volume model. That lower-cost car is targeted to sell at the rate of up to 100,000 annually. Of the $250 million, about one third to one half is expected to be borrowed with the rest coming from the IPO. Tesla has applied for a loan guarantee from the Department of Energy to help raise the cash. The current plan is still to build the WhiteStar assembly plant in Albuquerque NM, but that may also change. A shift to the East Bay area, closer to the company's San Carlos CA headquarters is still a possibility. As for the here and now, series production of the Roadster is still set to begin at Lotus' Hethel UK factory on March 17. The first car off the line that day (production unit #2) will be delivered to now departed company founder Martin Eberhard soon afterward.