Cornell Expert Says Think, Hype, Safety On Fast Charging Claims.
Tesla Motors said it will launch its mass market “Gen III” vehicle slightly early, before the end of 2016, at a price equivalent to the current Nissan Leaf battery-only vehicle.
That would be about half the price of Tesla’s first car, the Model S, which starts at $62,400 after the $7,500 government tax credit. Before Gen III. comes the Model X SUV which is based on the S. The Gen III, had been expected to launch in 2017 with initial sales of 30,000, ramping up to 370,000 by 2025.
Model S volume is expected to peak at 26,000 by 2017, the Model X should hit 20,000 to 25,000 as an SUV, light-duty delivery van and pickup truck.
Tesla has announced that its Supercharger network has improved recharging from 45 minutes to 20 minutes, but fuel-cell chemist Paul Mutolo from the Energy Materials Center at Cornell University had some cautionary words.
“It’s encouraging to see an automaker embracing the infrastructure problem in a meaningful way. That said, the consumer should be wary of two things: hype and safety. They (Tesla) say the improved chargers will provide 3 hours of driving time after a 20 minute charge. But the numbers don’t add up. You’ll get about 140 miles, which is only three hours if you drive less than 50 mph. Moreover, the charger is only one piece of the puzzle. Rapidly charging today’s lithium ion batteries is a dangerous proposition. To safely deliver that much energy that quickly to such a batter pack will require a new kind of battery, not just a new charger,” Mutolo said.
Neil Winton – June 12, 2013
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