Tesla has rolled up their sleeves and are more than ready to kick off their battery swapping technology for the Model S electric vehicle. Basically, this particular “campaign”, if you can call it that, would allow users to swap out their battery instead of charging it whenever they are on the road – providing them with an option for a quick fill up which surprisingly, would take less amount of time as opposed to filling up a standard car with gas at the station. This pilot program will launch in Harris Ranch, California, where it is happening at a new facility that is located directly across the street from the Supercharger within the vicinity.
The pilot project would be an initial demonstration of how the system will work when it is in full swing, where it has been specially designed to test the technical aspects of the procedure, and to check out whether Tesla drivers would prefer to recharge the Model S’ current battery pack, since the swap will cost “slightly less than a full tank of gasoline for a premium sedan”, according to Tesla. Of course, who are we to say that this will not change down the road, but the swap will include labor and facility costs which charging does not.
Apart from that, one would need to set an appointment in advance, and the swapping process right now takes three minutes to complete, with Tesla looking to reduce that time to just a minute. I wonder what happens if the swapped battery runs into issues halfway – will there be a free emergency towing service by Tesla?