Heard on NPR that batteries on EV's can only be charged around 500 times. This came from that Berkley professor that was a global warming skeptic until the recent conclusion of a research study -that he participated in- indicating that most of global warming was caused by fuel burning. Of-coarse the study was funded by the Koch brothers and proposed that the world move to natural gas. It wouldn't surprise me if the Koch brothers have large investments in natural gas. Does anyone know if the battery charge comment has any validity?
All lithium batteries are not created equal. LiCoO2 batteries indeed have charge-cycle lives in the hundreds, but LiFePO4 batteries (as seen in the Volt, Leaf, etc) can reach 10,000 cycles or more.
All this depends on charge/discharge rate, temperature, etc. The Roadster's complicated battery system is required because they used LiCoO2 batteries. :\
The electric cost of a charge is ~2$, and you get ~250 miles a charge x 500 = 125,000 miles for 1,000$. Assuming 3.5$/G gas + 30MPG + 125,000 miles costs 14,500$. That leaves ~13,500$ to pay for the next battery pack and the overhead charging.
PS: The real issue is it's not a smooth transition, but if you assume the 2nd battery pack is not worth it you get 250,000 miles including 1 replacement pack.
The battery pack costs more than that, alas. The price may come down as the scale of recycling (and hence, the amount recyclers can pay for used batteries) goes up. The price per Wh for Li-ion has also been falling at a fairly steady rate. And of course, gas prices may go up.
We should also consider the depreciation of components in a conventional car that the electric drivetrain replaces. They should depreciate faster because they are less efficient and must deal with the additional heat they dissipate. They require an intake and exhaust system, complicated transmission, pumps, valves, lubricants...
Yes, that's approximately correct. The shortest-range S gets 160mi per charge. 500 * 160 = 80,000 miles, which isn't bad for the first scheduled maintenance. In fact, Tesla guarantees their batteries to 100,000 miles. If the battery costs $20K to replace, well, a gas engine + transmission + exhaust system in a $60,000 car depreciates as much in that time, too.
