Tesla Model S Battery Swap In 90 Seconds

Elon Musk and Tesla are at it again.  The latest bit of innovation is around a swappable battery system that can swap the battery in about 90-seconds.  One of the main mental sticking points with regards to consumers switching to an electric vehicle is range and recharge time.  The Tesla does a great job at eliminating the range/recharge worries with Super Charger stations and now swappable batteries.  Yes, 90-seconds is faster than most gasoline cars take to refill.  Read on for details and video demonstration.

The video, below, shows a Tesla Model S and a gasoline powered Audi refueling at the same time.  The Tesla battery swap is so fast that they manage to swap two of them before the Audi is refueled.  The one part that isn't discussed is payment processing, etc,  The Audi guy uses a credit card at the pump but the Tesla guy just drives in and parks.  Time will tell if the experience will be this seamless. 

The battery swap will supposedly cost Model S owners between $60 and $80.  Not cheap when compared to a conventional recharge, but still quite convenient and in line with gasoline prices.  Elon puts it best, "the only question you need to make when you pull into Tesla stations is: do you prefer fast or free."  Yep the Super Chargers will remain free for Tesla owners.