"Fast or free?" That's the question Elon Musk posed last night at a special event hosted at Tesla's Southern California design studio. What followed was the first demonstration of the automaker's automated battery swapping system, which takes around 90 seconds to remove and replace an empty battery with a fully charged pack – quicker than it takes to fill up most cars running dead-dino juice.
Battery swapping, which Musk has been relentlessly Twitter-teasing for the past month, is something the Model S was designed to do from the onset, according to the automaker. But rather than require owners to come into a dealership or service center to have the swap performed, Tesla will be installing a number of these automated systems at its Supercharger stations situated along some of the nation's busiest corridors, including Interstate 5 along the West Coast and between Washington, D.C. and Boston.
Tesla says that each battery-swapping system will cost around $500,000 to build, but it's remained mum on what kind of premium it will charge Model S owners. The only hint we've gotten is that the swap will cost the equivalent of a a 15-gallon fill-up at the pump, so figure something in the neighborhood of $50-$65.
Initial concerns that Model S owners would be getting a used-and-abused battery seem to be unfounded, since the system is set up to be more like a rental than a permanent battery swap. Once you're done with the pack, you go back to the same station and have your old battery reinstalled (at a similar cost). If you decide to keep the battery, that's fine too, and Tesla's battery warranty will supposedly cover whatever pack is installed.
While the swapping system is a nice perk for Model S owners, Tesla doesn't stand to make any money on the scheme. The cost of the stations combined with the additional batteries required to be on hand won't be covered by the charge to owners. And Tesla won't be getting any additional Zero Emissions Vehicle Credits from the California Air Resources board as the automaker is already maxed out at the seven credits per Model S sold.
Still, it's a nice perk for owners, and has a better shot a succeeding than the Better Place system, which flamed out in bankruptcy earlier this year.
