Tesla on battery recycling
One of the enduring issues related to battery-powered cars is what becomes of those massive batteries when they reach end of life? As one of the first companies to utllize large-scale lithium ion batteries, Tesla is addressing this problem even before they start series production. In the latest entry on the company blog, Kurt Kelly talks about the battery recycling plan including a description of the pack's construction. The 6,831 individual cells are spread among 11 modules, each of which can be individually replaced if their capacity to hold a charge drops too low. Once modules or packs are declared no longer useful, Tesla has a recycling plan set up with KBI/Toxco. Tesla will ship expended modules to Toxco for dismantling and reuse, recycling. Kelly gives a full rundown of the process.
[Source: Tesla Motors]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 10:30AM (3/12/2008)
TOXCO needs to change their name to something far less toxic sounding.
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KarenRei 10:42AM (3/12/2008)
If they had used *automotive* li-ion batteries, they wouldn't have to replace them so often. Or be at a major fire risk, for that matter. A123 expects theirs to last 10+ years, other phosphates should be similar. and I suspect AltairNano is in a similar boat with their titanates. Of course, it would have delayed their schedule and lowered their range a little, and since their target customer is wealthy, it's not that big of a deal.
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Tony Belding 10:56AM (3/12/2008)
Using A123 or Altair batteries would have cut their range about in half while greatly increasing the cost of the vehicle. Tesla know what they are doing.
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Bill 3:32PM (3/12/2008)
Maybe you want to change "utllize large-scale lithium ion batteries"
to "utilize laptop-sized cells configured into multiple battery packs Tesla calls blades"
it's a little misleading as is
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texmln 9:13PM (3/13/2008)
Blah, blah, blah. Produce a car already.
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