A battery pack producer has launched a brand new resolution for Tesla Roadster with getting older 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 automobile revolution.
It was the primary commercially out there shopper EV with lithium battery cells – enabling over 200 miles of vary on a single cost.
The automobile had comparable or higher efficiency than many different gas-powered autos in its phase.
The Roadster had its downside. It was a suboptimal resolution because it was nonetheless closely based mostly 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 automobile packages that had been constructed to be electrical from the bottom up.
Regardless of being 13 to 16 years outdated, many Roadsters are nonetheless doing nicely. Electrek’s personal Jamie Dow drives his every 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 expertise has improved rather a lot since then, and an organization has determined to reap the benefits of that and supply 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 a whole lot 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 automobile.
The pack is ready to obtain the Roadster’s peak energy output, however it needs to be much more enjoyable to drive by shaving as much as 400 lbs off of the automobile’s authentic 2,877 lb (1,305 kg) weight.
It does include a decrease vitality capability than the unique 53 kWh, however it is best to be capable to obtain very related vary (over 220 miles) because of the effectivity acquire from the load loss.
Listed here are the complete 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 a few of the enhancements that they had been in a position to 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 authentic 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 whole cell is now absolutely encapsulated and temperature managed!
Nevertheless, this supply is just not going to be for everybody since Roadster house owners should be prepared to take a position $28,000 of their getting older automobile, which is the value of the pack in case you give your present pack to re/cell.
Apparently, the corporate can be interested by providing different upgrades that may be enabled by house 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 MotorÂ
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 anticipate small electrical sports activities automobiles round 2,500 lbs. They need to be a lot enjoyable and it appears like this, regardless of not being designed from the bottom up for it, might be an attention-grabbing preview.
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