Battery replacement adventure

[bwilson4web]

Briefly, my $9,000 replacement battery:

The full technical details are at Tesla Owners but I wanted to share a brief summary.

I drove to Fort Lauderdale for a "timeshare pitch" but it is turning into an unexpected adventure:

• Discovered a latent problem with Full Self Driving
  • Deep dive into Tessie App (WOW!)
• Great meal at 'Billy's Stone Crab'
  • I didn't come to Florida to eat at McDonalds
• Recent front end work checked by Tune Rite Auto
  • A knowledgable shop, I like them.
• Spending Friday night at "OK Gun Club" for 2 of my 3 favorite activities:
  • Tesla and free charging
  • Range time (they have dark hours too!)
• Meeting with "Space Coast EV" group Saturday morning
  • Maybe see a rocket launch?
• Florida ... gotta bring back oranges and lemons

Bob Wilson

 

[bwilson4web]

Former and replacement battery:

• Car Battery Management System range at 100%
  • ~173 miles, old
  • ~204 miles, new

Bob Wilson

 

[R P]

Was 30 mile more range worth it? And what did you do with your old battery?

 

[bwilson4web]

Was 30 mile more range worth it? And what did you do with your old battery?

For me, it was worth it. The newer battery restores the 100% SOC range to the low 200s that the earlier battery had expected to reach. A failed valve in the "SuperBottle" probably cooked the old battery over the previous two years. Had I caught that sooner, I probably could have keep the old battery operational for another 4-6 years but 2019 era, NMC chemistry, 2170 cells will always age.

Recent maintenance:

• 225/45R-18 Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 XL - replaced two worn Yokohama tires
• Near perfect alignment - made steering more predictable
• Front suspension rebuild - replaced failed linkages and parts with worn bushings
• Battery replacement - evidence of storage, aging to what my original NMC batteries should be at
• Super Bottle - replaced stuck valve that probably accelerated the original battery aging

So now my 2019 Model 3 Standard Range Plus has years of additional life with these benchmarks from two days ago:

The price-performance is still worth it to me. There are only two other EVs with higher efficiency at "fueleconomy.gov" and both are way more expensive than my repairs.

Tesla recycled the battery for me. LiON batteries are a hazardous waste and I have neither the time nor a project that could use it. The chemicals will feed Tesla's 4680 production line.

Bob Wilson