Having a friendly chat with a group of Tesla owners in Norway, brand CEO Elon Musk intimated that more-powerful batteries could be on the way for the Model S. The most potent battery pack currently offered in the Model S holds 85 kWh of juice, or enough for 265 miles of driving.
Musk wasn't terribly specific, however: "There is the potential for bigger battery packs in the future, but it would probably be maybe next year or something like that. The main focus is . . . how do we reduce the cost per kWh of storage in the battery pack?" In other words, Musk seems less concerned with stronger battery packs than making cheaper battery packs for the upcoming mid-size sedan, which is expected to be unveiled at the 2015 Detroit auto show.
"Our goal is to drop the cost per kWh by 30 percent to 40 percent." And for that, Tesla would need to build more production capacity in the form of a "gigafactory," capable of churning out 30 gigawatt-hours annually—which Musk claims is more than the entire world's lithium-ion factory production in 2012.
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Musk also mentioned plans for other enhancements to the Model S, including a drop-in center console, more-comfortable front seats, and an "Autobahn package" that will have suspension changes to make it better suited to high-speed handling. Unfortunately, there would be no change to the car's top speed, but even that is something Musk says he would like to have down the road.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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