Tesla hints at the flawed Chinese model for renting batteries for electric vehicles
Recently, the Chinese division of Tesla published a note in which it veiledly criticized the idea of separating traction batteries from an electric vehicle, and providing a power source separately for rent. A similar service has been offered by the Chinese company NIO for its own electric vehicles since August 20. On the contrary, Tesla considers it important to reduce the number of electric car parts to the production of large-scale solid structures.
In a post titled “One Piece Is Good,” Tesla said that the electronic chips of electric vehicles are not the company’s main goal. Evolution, first of all, is the production of electric vehicles, which includes the manufacture of a one-piece body. A one-piece aluminum die-forging machine has already been launched at a US plant to produce a Model Y electric vehicle and will soon be operational in China at a factory in Shanghai for a locally-made Model Y die.
The principle of “unibody”, notes Tesla, makes it possible to make the supporting structure of the body up to 30% lighter and at the same time much stronger, since the emergency beams are already included in the structure and will be able to more reliably dissipate the force of impact in an accident. Production costs are also expected to decrease as the one-piece body is one piece and not 70 twisted/welded as it is now. Finally, the one-piece body will stop creaking at the joints.
China’s NIO has partly taken a different path. The bottom of her electric vehicles has a removable compartment where the battery is installed. The design was created in such a way as to automatically replace the traction battery within three minutes, and not spend tens of minutes on a regular charge. This greatly simplifies the operation of electric vehicles, although Tesla hints at the mechanical weakening of the chassis in this configuration and higher production costs.
Which way will be the right one will be determined by the consumer. In any case, among motorists, there will certainly be many adherents of both one and the other solution.
