Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. Car News

Stop ‘n swap: Tesla confirms swappable battery packs for Model S

By

Tesla Model S Alpha Model Front AngleTesla Motors is moving ahead with it plans to introduce swappable battery packs for its electric cars with typical theatricality. Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced via Twitter Tuesday that the company will demonstrate a battery pack swap live tonight.

“Live pack swap demo on Thurs [sic] night at 8 p.m. California time at our design studio in Hawthorne. Seeing is believing,” Musk tweeted.

Recommended Videos

Tesla has hinted at swappable battery packs a few times over the past few months. The company mentioned that it planned to implement the technology, without giving a specific timeline, in a May 10 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Related: 
Best new movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max (HBO), and more

Swappable battery packs would be a major coup for Tesla, and electric cars in general. They have the potential to negate the inconvenience caused by most EV’s relatively short ranges and long charging times.

The concept of the battery pack swap as the same as any other battery swap: the depleted battery comes out, and a fresh one is put in. However, unlike the AAs in your flashlight, car batteries will be recharged and rotated back into service.

When a car is equipped for swapping, the process takes minutes. That means drivers won’t have to deal with hours-long charging times (Tesla’s Supercharger can impart an 80 percent charge in 30 minutes, but only if you can find one) and, if swapping stations become plentiful enough, the dreaded “range anxiety.”

Better Place, the only company to implement battery swapping so far, used service stations to replace batteries. Customers bought plans similar to cell phone service plans, which granted them access to the charging network and was bundled with the purchase of a compatible car.

Tesla is rumored to be working on service stations of its own, but the company hasn’t confirmed that. It also hasn’t confirmed exactly how it will remove the Model S’ battery pack, which covers the entire area under the floor inside the wheelbase. Moving such a large item should make for quite a spectacle, though.

We’ll learn more when Tesla’s big demo happens this Thursday at 8:00 p.m. PST. Check back here for more updates.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen Edelstein
Contributing Editor
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Topics

Editors’ Recommendations

Tesla Model S vs. Model X: Which is right for you?
Tesla Model X

The Tesla Model S was the original cool electric car, boasting a sleek and stylish design and the ability to go superfast. But there's another premium Tesla in the lineup that's also pretty darn quick -- and it offers a whole lot more space to boot. The Tesla Model X offers the same design aesthetic as other Tesla cars, along with a superpowerful electric motor and some other features that you can't find on any other Tesla.

But that doesn't mean it's better than the Model S. In fact, it's not -- it's just different. But which is the better option for your needs? Here's a look at the two cars and what makes them different -- or the same.
Design
Perhaps the most notable difference between the two cars is their design. The Model S is a smaller sedan, while the Model X is marketed as an SUV (though it's perhaps more of a crossover). Regardless of marketing, however, the Model X is basically much larger than the Model S.

Read more
Volkswagen ID.4 vs Tesla Model Y
volkswagen id4 vs tesla model y 2021 id 4 blue charging

The electric car world is seriously heating up, with a number of high-end electric crossovers now available, albeit still at a higher price than comparable gas-powered cars. The Tesla Model Y is one of the first of these, offering the Tesla design, a high-tech software experience, and more. But another one of the older of these models is the Volkswagen ID.4, which was first released in 2021 and also offers among the better electric car experiences out there.

Can the ID.4 compete with one of the best-selling electric cars out there? We put the two head-to-head to find out.
Design
The first thing to compare between these two cars is design, and they take a slightly different approach.

Read more
Tesla launches more affordable Model S and Model X, but there’s a catch
A 2021 Tesla Model S.

Tesla has launched more affordable versions of its Model S sedan and Model X SUV in the U.S. and Canada, though they come with shorter driving ranges. Deliveries of the new vehicles will begin next month.

The new Model S "standard range" vehicles cost $78,490 and offer a range of up to 320 miles (515 kilometers), which is considerably shorter than the pricier regular dual-motor and tri-motor Plaid versions that feature a range of 405 miles and 396 miles, respectively, Reuters reported.

Read more