swaps Archives | AutoDepot

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors

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For something as secret as a battery swap option in the Tesla Model S electric vehicle, we sure have heard rumors about it for years. Four (!) years ago, after all, we knew that the Model S was designed to accommodate battery swaps and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has talked about taking long-distance EV trips that included battery swaps, and Tesla’s proprietary Supercharger network was supposed to have a battery swap component at one time. But then the discussion shifted to focus on that Supercharger network, and how, by stopping for lots of 20-minute sandwiches along the way, a cross-country EV road trip would be totally doable. And, for a while, the Tesla battery swapping talk disappeared.

“Live pack swap demo on Thurs night. Seeing is believing” – Elon Musk

Until, of course, Musk brought it back a month ago by tweeting: “There is a way for the Tesla Model S to be recharged throughout the country faster than you could fill a gas tank.” That set off a fresh search for information, which we now know we will be cleared up later this week.

Yesterday, Musk tweeted: “Live pack swap demo on Thurs night at 8pm California time at our design studio in Hawthorne. Seeing is believing.” He also tweeted that Better Place founder Shai Agassi “actually got the idea from a visit to Tesla. The idea is obvious (many things allow battery swap), but the technology is not.”

We have so many questions about this new option: does it apply to all Model S vehicles? Will it be free, like Supercharging? Will the swap locations be at Tesla stores, Supercharger stations or at other locations? Why is Tesla thinking of battery swaps when it’s also been so bullish on its fast-charging technology? We’ll try to find answers to all of these questions when the first public swap is performed live on Thursday.

Elon Musk confirms Tesla Model S battery swaps, demo coming this week originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Convertible, Videos, Porsche

Click above to watch the video after the jump

If you don’t currently own a Porsche Boxster, you probably wouldn’t mind having one in the garage. Seventeen-year-old Steven Ortiz turned wishes and hopes into hard work and determination to finally land a shiny silver 2000 Boxster, but he didn’t tap into a trust fund or bust open a few piggy banks to meet his goal. All he used was an old cell phone, Craigslist and a lot of time.

Ortiz bartered that phone for an iPod, then traded the iPod for a dirt bike and from the dirt bike came a series of cars, an SUV and finally one mighty attractive drop-top with an engine in the boot. The man just got his license and he’s already rocking a Porsche… what a country.

The local ABC affiliate in Glendora, California interviewed Ortiz, and from the limited shots of the car, the man’s Boxster looks far better than even the smartest of smart phones. Hit the jump to watch the video for yourself, and if you’re thinking of asking Ortiz to swap some old junk for an Italian exotic, his friends already beat you to it. It’s apparently harder to do than it sounds.

[Source: ABC News]

Continue reading Video: 17-year-old swaps old phone for Porsche Boxster on Craigslist

Video: 17-year-old swaps old phone for Porsche Boxster on Craigslist originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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