Why Tesla Will Never Do Battery Swaps?

Among so many manufacturers of pure electric vehicles in the world, the "battery swap mode" seems to be the most popular among Chinese manufacturers. Even the national policy is tilting towards the power-swap model. Even in the subsidy policy in 2020, it is clearly pointed out that there is no subsidy for pure electric vehicles with a price of more than 300,000 yuan, except for models in the battery swap mode.

Moreover, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Energy Administration have also begun to promote the battery swap model. NIO, Geely Automobile, Changan Automobile, CATL and battery suppliers have also begun to deploy battery swaps.

However, it seems that foreign car brands are not interested in the battery swap mode. Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi's pure electric vehicles do not support battery swapping. So why doesn't Tesla think battery swapping is a good model?

To answer this question, we must first figure out why we "change the battery"!

【1】What are the benefits of changing batteries?

Simply put, there are many benefits of battery swapping. First, the service life of pure electric vehicles can be extended by replacing the battery. Second, it can improve the preservation rate of pure electric vehicles. Third, you can also reduce the price of the model through the battery swap mode, and the battery can be rented instead of bought. Fourth, it can increase the speed of energy replenishment.

With so many benefits, why doesn't Tesla do battery swaps?

[2] Why doesn't Tesla do battery swaps?

Why doesn't Tesla do battery swaps? To put it simply, Tesla's cars have achieved similar effects as battery swaps without supporting battery swaps. We will know the benefits of the power exchange mentioned above one by one.

First, swapping batteries can extend battery life. According to professional data, Tesla still has about 90% of the battery capacity of its electric car after driving 320,000 kilometers. That is to say, the battery decay rate has little effect on most ordinary consumers. In the United States, a car is usually scrapped after 320,000 kilometers, while the number of kilometers scrapped in Europe is 240,000 kilometers. Tesla says its battery packs are designed to last longer than the car itself, and so far, no users have been affected by battery life, so consumers may never have to worry about buying an electric car and needing to replace the battery The problem.

Second, battery swaps can improve the value preservation rate of pure electric vehicles. There are many factors that affect the value of a car. At present, in China's pure electric vehicle market, the highest value preservation rate is precisely Tesla, which cannot be replaced. Instead of Weilai, which can exchange electricity. why? To put it simply, the value retention rate depends on the brand, the amount of ownership, the quality of the model, the condition of the car, and the result of a comprehensive judgment. At present, whether in terms of brand or ownership, Tesla still has a great advantage. Therefore, the effect of power exchange on improving the preservation rate is not large.

Third, the price of the model is reduced through the battery swap mode, and the battery is rented instead of bought. This is also the way NIO used it for the first time. And Tesla's way seems simpler and more straightforward. It is to launch relatively cheap models such as model 3, and then through the manufacturing process, for example, the body-in-white of model Y uses an integrated die-casting rear bottom plate. The integration of 70 parts of the rear floor can be realized, and the traditional production process of welding the rear floor can be omitted, so that the production time and cost are greatly reduced.