Right to repair; Sustainable prioritisation

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It's more likely that a battery management controller might be fashioned to make other modules' performance.

But the supply of modules and repairs would have to reach the hundreds of thousands before making such parts would be profitable.

Most vehicles won't get there, and it would be far easier just to recondition entire packs or replace with newer, longer range packs.

-Crissa

Another problem with not having right to repair is competition on pricing and diagrams.

My brother's Model S (2013) battery died and tesla quoted him 23.5k to replace it (i still think tesla might be pulling a Fisker with battery-destroying software on older free-to-charge tesla's) It totaled the car.

With a single supplier supplying a battery pack for Tesla's, they charge a car-totaling 23.5k for the pack.. Instead, People should have the option to go to a "battery repair pack business" to recondition and repair the dead cells.

I think people associate Right to Repair as someone that repairs something in their garage. but it actually encompasses that AND the ability for businesses to repair products on someone else's behalf as well as a business.

 

[Crissa]

I envision a battery pack that has a small circuit attached to each cell, and it could be as simple as just a chip. It could monitor each cell individually and report back to the BMS. Maybe it could even tweak the resistance slightly to being the cell into balance. If the cell was detected as defunct, it could blow a thermal fuse that would isolate it from the rest. In this way, the pack would be less reliant on having 100% perfect cells.

However, if these revolutionary chips cost a mere $1 each, we just increased the cost of the pack by 10% or more. It's probably cheaper to just replace the bad packs.

This is similar to what Ultium envisions.

-Crissa

 

[Deleted member 3316]

This is similar to what Ultium envisions.

-Crissa

Ultium/GM is going to need to replace significantly higher proportion of its batteries and much earlier than Tesla. But as is evidenced by the recent Munro tear down, Tesla batteries are not intended to be refurbished or repaired. Crunch them up and refine the base elements.

I think the focus should be more on the less complex components, interiors, suspension ancillary equipment, the end of life batteries will still have more value in materials than an engine/gearbox.
The replacement cost “should” be significantly less the the $20k regularly thrown around.