A battery pack producer has launched a brand new resolution for Tesla Roadster with ageing battery packs. It might slash the automotive’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 obtainable 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 downside. 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 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Regardless of being 13 to 16 years outdated, many Roadsters are nonetheless doing effectively. 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 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 homeowners.
re/cell, a Texas-based provider of remanufactured battery packs for EVs, has unveiled a brand new Roadster battery pack that goals to slash tons of of kilos off of the sports activities automotive.
In contrast to Tesla’s newest autos, that are geared up 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 burden of the car.
The pack is ready to obtain the Roadster’s peak energy output, however it ought to be much more enjoyable to drive by shaving as much as 400 lbs off of the automotive’s authentic 2,877 lb (1,305 kg) weight.
It does include a decrease power capability than the unique 53 kWh, however you need to be capable of obtain very comparable vary (over 220 miles) because of the effectivity acquire from the burden loss.
Listed here 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
- Power Capability: 38 kWh / 47 kWh
- Rated Vary: 220-240 miles / 350-390 km
- Cell Sort: 18650 / 3500 mAh
- Cell Configuration: 31p99s / 39p99s
re/cell describes among the enhancements that they had 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 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 – your entire cell is now absolutely encapsulated and temperature managed!
Nevertheless, this supply just isn’t going to be for everybody since Roadster homeowners should be prepared to take a position $28,000 of their ageing car, which is the worth of the pack in the event you give your present pack to re/cell.
Curiously, 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 might 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 might 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 almost 3,000 lbs.
I can’t look ahead to small electrical sports activities vehicles 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, might be an attention-grabbing preview.
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