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Who Bricked The Electric Car? You Did!

Leo Xavier — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:22:28 +0000

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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Toyota RAV4 EV debuts with help from Tesla Motors

Michael Kwan — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 20:33:01 +0000

Looks like the Honda Fit EV isn’t the only car doing the full electric debut at the LA Auto Show. Toyota has an electric trick up its sleeve too and it’s the oft-rumored Toyota RAV4 EV.

This comes via a partnership with Tesla Motors (you know, of Tesla Roadster fame), so you know that the electric motor components are going to be pretty top notch. Interestingly enough, despite being significantly larger than the Honda Fit, the pre-production RAV4 EV gets the same 100 mile range on a single charge.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say the the RAV4 is a big SUV, but it’s a heck of a lot bigger than most of the other full electrics we’re seeing on the car show circuit. Put this next to a Fit or Nissan Leaf and there is no comparison, at least in terms of physical size.

So, what does Tesla have to gain from this partnership with Toyota? Aside from a cash infusion, Elon Musk says Tesla gets “a sense for the Toyota production system… that helps us with the Model S. Having access to Lexus components in the supply chain is also helpful.” Does this mean that the Model S is going to end up with an interior akin to a Lexus IS (or something similar)?

TOYOTA DEBUTS 100-MILE RANGE, RAV4 EV DEMONSTRATION VEHICLE AT LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW

Toyota/Tesla Collaboration To Build, Demonstrate And Evaluate 35 Vehicles: Fully Engineered Second-Generation RAV4 EV Slated For 2012 On-Sale Date

LOS ANGELES, November 17, 2010 — Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) debuted today the second-generation Toyota RAV4 EV at a news conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show. A total of 35 vehicles will be built for a demonstration and evaluation program through 2011, aiming at market arrival of a fully-engineered vehicle in 2012. The fully-engineered vehicle will have a target range of 100 miles in actual road driving patterns, in a wide range of climates and conditions.

“When we decided to work together on the RAV4 EV, President Akio Toyoda wanted to adopt a new development model that incorporated Tesla’s streamlined, quick-action approach,” said Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer, TMS. “The result was a hybrid – a new decision and approval process and a development style that our engineers refer to as “fast and flexible.”

Led by the Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America (TEMA) Technical Center in Michigan, the new development model helped reduce development time without compromising product quality. The team has accomplished this by approaching the project as they would a typical mid-cycle “major-minor” product change. Specifically, midway through a generation, the team began with a fully engineered current-generation RAV4, to which was added a major powertrain option, along with minor feature and cosmetic changes.

Tesla was responsible for building and supplying the battery, as well as other related parts, that met specific Toyota engineering specifications in performance, quality and durability. Toyota was responsible for development and manufacturing leadership and the seamless integration of the powertrain.

“From the beginning, the customer experience has been the focus,” said Lentz. “In other words, how do we deliver an unconventional product to mainstream customers that is compelling and affordable and that offers an acceptable level of daily convenience.”

A large part of the team’s focus on the customer experience targeted driveability. In this case, the end goal is a vehicle with driveability characteristics as close to the conventional RAV4 as possible.

For example, the demonstration vehicle weighs approximately 220 pounds more than the current RAV4 V6 yet it will accelerate from zero to sixty nearly as quickly.

This added weight factor required significant retuning of major components and a prioritized focus on weight distribution. Not only were suspension and steering modified significantly, major components needed to be relocated to better balance the increased mass of the battery pack.

The demonstration vehicle Toyota is currently testing is powered by a lithium metal oxide battery with useable output rated in the mid-30 kwh range. However, many decisions regarding both the product, as well as the business model, have not been finalized. Battery size and final output ratings, as well as pricing and volume projections of the vehicle Toyota plans to bring to market in 2012, have not been decided.

As for a final assembly location, Toyota is considering many options and combinations. The basic vehicle will continue to be built at its Canadian production facility in Woodstock, Ontario. Tesla will build the battery and related parts and components at its new facility in Palo Alto, Calif. The method and installation location of the Tesla components into the vehicle is being discussed.

The RAV4 EV received several distinct exterior styling changes including a new front bumper, grille, fog lamps and head lamps. New EV badging and the custom “mutually exclusive” paint color, completed the transformation. The interior received custom seat trim, multimedia dash displays, push-button shifter and dashboard meters. The RAV4 platform brings a 73-cubic-foot cargo area with rear seats folded down – no cargo space was lost in the conversion to an electric powertrain.
In 1997, Toyota brought to market the first-generation RAV4 EV in response to the California zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate and was the first manufacturer to meet the mandate’s Memo of Agreement on volume sales. Powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery pack, the vehicle had a range of between 80-110 miles on a single charge. From model year 1998 to model year 2003, only 1,484 vehicles were sold or leased in the U.S. 746 first-generation RAV4 EVs are still on the road (www.toyotarav4ev.com).

“Price and convenience proved to be critical success factors and they remain so today,” said Lentz. “But much has changed in the last few years. Most importantly, the growing level of awareness that sustainable mobility will come at a cost that must be shared by the automakers, government and the consumer.”

Toyota’s approach to sustainable mobility focuses on the world’s future reliance on mobility systems tailored to specific regions or markets, rather than individual models or technologies. It acknowledges that no one technology will be the “winner” and that a mobility system in Los Angeles will probably look very different from one in Dallas or New York or London or Shanghai.
Toyota’s comprehensive technology strategy is a portfolio approach that includes a long-term commitment to hydrogen fuel cells, plug-in hybrids and battery electrics all driven by the further proliferation of conventional gas-electric hybrids, like Prius as its core technology.

Toyota has announced that coinciding with the arrival of the RAV4 EV in 2012 it will launch, in key global markets, the Prius PHV (plug-in hybrid) and a small EV commuter vehicle. It will also launch, in key global markets, its first commercialized hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in calendar year 2015, or sooner. Finally, by the end of 2012, Toyota will add seven all new (not next-generation) hybrid models to its portfolio.

TOYOTA RAV4 EV PERFORMANCE/SPECS

Exterior:

* Unique front and rear styling
* LED Foglamps
* 18″ Alloy wheels
* Special pearl white paint with aqua base – “mutually exclusive”

Interior:

* Smart key system with push button start
* Combination synthetic leather and fabric seating surfaces
* Touch screen DVD Navigation system
* Cargo volume equal to 2010 RAV4

Mechanical:

* Powerful electric motor with Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery pack
* Zero emission vehicle (ZEV)
* Class-leading driving range, acceleration, and top speed
* Real world driving range of approximately 100 miles

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Jay Leno test drives the Tesla Roadster 2.5 (video)

Michael Kwan — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:22:18 +0000

Most people know Jay Leno has the host of Tonight Show (sorry, Conan but you’ll be on Comedy Central soon), he also happens to be a huge car enthusiast. He has a massive garage filled with both vintage and current cars, but also wants to check out the newest vehicles too. So, in the clip below, he takes a look at the Tesla Roadster 2.5.

This is the most updated version of the Tesla Roaster and it represents quite a step up from the original Teslas. It’s still a full-electric car with no need for a single drop of gasoline. The most recent stat, which will speak to some of the naysayers of full-electrics, is that it gets an EPA-certified 245 miles on a single charge. They’ve also swapped out from a two-speed transmission to a single-speed transmission. This is apparently more efficient. In the video below, Jay also learns about how air-conditioning affects fuel economy, how the liquid cooling system works, and so on. It’s actually quite educational.

Sit back and grab a coffee, though, since the visit to Jay Leno’s Garage is over 16 minutes, not including the obligatory pre-play ad that NBC’s front-loaded to the clip (refresh to skip it).

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