2013 Tesla Model S Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

2013 Tesla Model S Long-Term Road Test

I recently took our 2013 Tesla Models S Supercharger to see just how quickly it would fill the battery.

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stovt001_

I'm seriously impressed with the supercharger network. Before this came on the scene, a trip from Southern California to Oregon in an electric car was simply out of the question. Now in what is basically version 1.0, it is just a question of patience and good planning. And with these upgrades in the pipe, it is only going to be simply less convenient than a gas car, but totally reasonable. If Tesla gets this battery swapping thing going, range issues should be pretty resolved for electric cars. Then expanding the power grid's capacity and making it clean becomes the big hurdle.

fordson1

Thanks for this. Quite thorough. A few quibbles - obviously, that chart does not show miles of range added per minute - it shows what you wrote in the text directly above it - range added versus clock time. And I don't know if there was a problem in not selecting enough data points to be accurate for the full duration, but it looks like at the 13-minute point, you added around 15 miles of range in what looks like about two minutes or a bit more, which would mean you were charging at over 400 mph. And while you have explored standard charging at 90 kW, standard charging at 45 kW, and max-range charging at 45 and 90 kW, there is one other scenario you are likely to encounter at a Supercharger - charging at 0 kW, because all of the stations are occupied when you get there. Finally, if you are going to be stopping for an hour to refuel every 200 miles, you are not going to be "at or near" your "usual gasoline pace."

tigerxml

Yes, Elon said once that charging with normal mode not fully battery is faster because it is like fulling up glass with a water you can fill it fast when it is empty but have to slow down at the end.

gslippy

EV drivers ought to know - and the reader should be told - that the Supercharger network is not the end-all to filling a battery. Routine charging at this rate (200 mph) is highly inadvisable if you expect to get any life out of the battery pack.

Good battery maintenance for lithium ion recommends charging at about 0.3 to 0.5 their capacity per hour, so use of the Supercharger is pushing about 1.0 to 1.5 capacity. The 18650 cells in the Model S are just laptop cells, so Tesla hasn't improved the chemistry at all.

ahightower

"at or near my usual gasoline pace" sounds optimistic. But a fun experience all the same.

Question: what do you do for an hour while waiting to charge up? Are all these things near shops or something? If you sit inside with the AC on won't it slow down the charge? (Can you even do that while it's plugged in?) Musk said in the battery swap presentation that Supercharging is and always will be free. That sounds too good to be true. But I guess if they put nice coffee bars at all the superchargers they could more than make up for the "free" electricity on overpriced lattes...

Final thought: Those wheels are really badass.

stovt001_

From the road trip write-ups for this car so far it sounds like the Superchargers are near restaurants and coffee shops. My typical road trip food stop still takes less time than this, but it does sound like you do have some air conditioned place to go while waiting.

fengshui

gslippy, supercharging may or may not affect battery life. We just don't know. Tesla uses cells based on the 18650 laptop cells, but they have proprietary modified chemistry of some form. That said, Tesla now warranties the battery regardless of charging activity, so if you did wear out a pack through frequent supercharging, Tesla would replace it for free. They've been very clear about that.

desmolicious

just drove my buddy's model S.
fan-freakin-tastic. u really need to try one if u get the chance.

duck87

@fordson1: Calculus, or in this case using simple rise/run gives you the miles/minute vs. clock time for charging.

I can understand spending 20 minutes or so at a station, but an hour is too long. I guess this is where the battery swap station comes int

fordson1

Agreed, duck - was just saying that the legend on his chart was not accurate.

kevininsd

@gslippy
Tesla warranties their batteries for any reason. So, if the pack goes "bad" from using their super charges, you can just get another one. Tesla has figured out how to fill the batteries quickly because they bypass the onboard chargers a

toddrlockwood

"The 18650 cells in the Model S are just laptop cells, so Tesla hasn't improved the chemistry at all."

Not true. The only thing Tesla's batteries have in common with laptop cells is their form factor. The batteries used in the Model S are automotive grade lithium cells with modified chemistry and a different type of anode. They're made by Panasonic to Tesla's specifications.

It seems unlikely that Tesla would allow owners to subject their batteries to life-shortening charging schemes, given that Tesla warrants the battery pack for eight years. The Model S charging cycle is carefully managed by microprocessors inside the battery pack. To protect the batteries, the charging current begins tapering just beyond the 60% level. That's why the most efficient way to charge at the Superchargers is to the 150 mile level. Beyond that, the charge begins slowing down.

mikeservis

you guys are all missing the point! We're what the press calls early adopters. Without us, guys like Elon would have no reason to persist. Gas is embarrassing - it's like pooping in your own bed. Electric cars are only a beginning too- there's a lot of cool stuff in the works. I can't wait! Wear your early adopter badges proudly - we rock!