Can anyone tell me if it's possible to swap out the stock battery packs with Tesla battery packs? Or would it be possible to expand the stock battery packs with additional packs? i would love to be able to double the range some how because I love my Fiat but it's short range is killing me. Thanks
I'm sure it can be done, but probably not for a price that makes sense. It's not just a simple matter of swapping some batteries in or out either. Everyone packages batteries differently, so that creates one challenge. Then, the car's computer and software is set up to deal with a particular size pack with certain characteristics. Changing the battery would create a huge challenge there as well. Luckily there are a number of new vehicles coming to the market over the next few years. Maybe the new electric Mini might work for you (when it finally arrives).
Swap out a Fiat 500e battery pack for a Tesla battery pack? Unless you or someone you know can hack the software in a Tesla BMS (Battery Management System), then forget it. Liquid cooled lithium-ion battery packs are a much higher level of complexity than just adding a few more batteries to the set of deep cycle lead-acid batteries found in garage-built conversion EVs and golf cart EVs. And you can't just add more battery cells (or modules) to an existing li-ion battery pack, either. All the cells in the pack need to be carefully matched so the pack can be balanced. In theory, it would be possible to add an auxiliary pack to the car, and use that to provide additional power... but the cost and difficulty of retrofitting the powertrain for that would be prohibitive, and I can't see any way to do that without -- again -- hacking the software of the existing pack. It would almost certainly be less trouble and expense to just buy a gently used Tesla car.
