Tesla Motors might be hiding a big battery issue from their customers. Apparently, the company’s electric vehicles, including their Roadster and the upcoming Model S, feature a battery pack which if completely discharged might leave a huge financial burden on the unfortunate owner. But is the owner unfortunate, or simply a bit careless?

According to an article by Michael Degusta over at theunderstatement.com, if a Tesla electric car, such as the Roadster is parked unplugged, it will eventually become what the company calls a “brick”. The vehicle can no more be started or even pushed down the road. This is the result of the car’s always-on subsystems which continually feed on the battery.

And when the battery dies, the owner ends up paying Tesla approximately $40,000 for replacing the battery pack. Reportedly, there is no protection available via warranty or a car insurance policy for this particular problem. Apparently, at least five Tesla owners were unfortunate enough to end up with this problem. Degusta says Tesla is unwilling to let their customers know about the issue, although they know that it’s a big one.

But don’t you have a slight feeling that Degusta’s argument is nonsense. That’s because it is.

If you are familiar with electric cars or batteries or even smartphones, you might know the fact that the battery which is not recharged will eventually die. And since the battery pack on a Roadster is not your usual $100 laptop battery, people will have to pay a huge price for not finding the time for maintenance.

And a Tesla, as you know, has an electric motor. There is lot less maintenance required for the vehicle when compared to a vehicle with a combustion engine. So it’s not too difficult to pay attention to the charge in the battery packs. And the company has designed the car in such a way that it warns the owner (and even the company, in the case of the latest Roadster) when the battery is low. The owners who ended up with a brick might have ignored all the warnings.

So who is culpable here?

Tesla has this to say in response to Degusta’s article: “All automobiles require some level of owner care. For example, combustion vehicles require regular oil changes or the engine will be destroyed. Electric vehicles should be plugged in and charging when not in use for maximum performance. All batteries are subject to damage if the charge is kept at zero for long periods of time. However, Tesla avoids this problem in virtually all instances with numerous counter-measures. Tesla batteries can remain unplugged for weeks (or even months), without reaching zero state of charge. Owners of Roadster 2.0 and all subsequent Tesla products can request that their vehicle alert Tesla if SOC falls to a low level. All Tesla vehicles emit various visual and audible warnings if the battery pack falls below 5 percent SOC. Tesla provides extensive maintenance recommendations as part of the customer experience”.

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To get the attention of petrol-heads off their gas guzzlers, electric car manufacturers have to make their cars as jazzy as their cousins running on fossil fuels.

Tesla recently unveiled its Model X, an all-electric cross between a SUV and a minivan, that could indeed make some hard-core petrol motorists rethink their loyalties.

The car is big for an electric car, capable of seating seven passengers quite comfortably in three rows and yes, all in front facing positions. More X-factors are included in Tesla’s new creation, the most eye-catching one being the ‘falcon wing’ rear doors which gives it that sexy appeal usually reserved for sports cars.

Let’s take a peek under the hood of this clean car and see whether it can provide the juice that will do justice to its good looks.

The car will be available in rear as well as four-wheel-drive versions, with two electric motors in the latter model reportedly having the grunt to push the car from 0 – 60 mph (96.5 km/h) in just 4.4 seconds.

Model X is based on the same platform as Tesla’s Model S with some added bulk. The increased weight will affect its range though (expected to be around 10 percent less than Model S). But still it will provide a range of 160 miles with the standard battery pack and it can be extended to 230 or 300 miles depending on the battery pack upgrades used.

The Model X is set for production in 2013 or 2014 for a 2015 release. The price for this beauty will be somewhat the same as Model S, which starts at US $49,900.

[ source ]

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Tesla Model S Sedan

It was recently announced that California electric car manufacturer Tesla would be working with Japanese automobile producer Toyota to produce the Tesla Model S sedan, a high end electric car.

For those not current on their electric car data, Tesla which was incorporated in 2003 and is known for producing high powered electric sports cars. The 2010 Tesla Roadster boasts a 0-60 time of around 4 seconds, with a range of about 250 miles between charges.

Toyota will invest $50 million into Tesla in return for a tax abatement from the state of California. The tax abatement will amount to about $20 million dollars.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk (also cofounder of PayPal and SpaceX) estimates that the production of the Model S sedan will employee about 1,000 workers. Production will take place at NUMMI, the former Toyota / GM auto plant that was closed down in April leaving several thousand workers jobless. The production of the Model S is planned to begin in 2012. The 2012 timeline is not without skeptics however, many believe that a year and a half is too short a time to re-condition the NUMMI auto plant. A spokesperson for Tesla has stated that during a worst case scenario construction crews may be on site for up to 20 hours a day.

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