Tesla Supplying Batteries to Smart Car

Automotive News reports that Tesla has finalized a deal with Daimler to supply lithium battery packs for the forthcoming Smart electric car, due out in approximately one year.

The packs will be assembled at Tesla’s location in California using components from Asian manufacturers. These packs will be the same type as currently used in the Tesla Roadster.

By increasing production volume Tesla will reduce per unit costs, and ultimately lower the costs of their vehicles.

The company also recently received a $250m loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy to help it put the Model S sedan into production. Tesla also plans to become a powertrain supplier to other automakers.

Battery Recycling

According to a white paper by Firefly Energy (carbon foam cell battery maker) 90% of all lead acid batteries in the US are recycled. The infrastructure is all there because those batteries are considered to be hazardous waste.

Which begs the question, with the anticipated proliferation of PHEVs and BEVs how much of an issue is battery recycling going to be as we move toward non-lead acid technologies?

I read this article on AutoBlogGreen today, followed by this one on the Tesla Motors blog. Glad to see someone is addressing this.

If the claims are correct it seems like they went about it in a very clever way: Non-hazardous waste, modular, and with post-automotive applications in less critical areas (e.g. peak shaving).

Recycling programs need to be able to accommodate changing battery types and chemistries since technology is going to (hopefully) evolve at a much faster rate going forward.

Further more, hopefully battery life will continue to improve so that we will be able to recycle them less often, and when they are recycled the environmental impacts are also lower. We need to stretch the intervals.

Bought An MR2 Off CraigsList

Usually I write about future vehicle technology. But now and then things happen in today’s world that are worth mentioning. I’ve been casually looking for a second generation Toyota MR2 for a while and happened upon one last weekend on CraigsList. I’ve always wanted one just for the fun of it because it’s a fascinating car.

The normally aspirated hardtop 1991 to 1995 MR2 is a rare car. It’s especially hard to find one equipped with a manual transmission that has not been wrecked or modified. The 1991 I found (with later model wheels) was in good condition and only requires minor touch ups and repairs. The only modification it has is a TRD short throw shift kit.

Some observations, both pros and cons, I made from a few hours behind the wheel and tinkering with it in the garage are as follows. The pros include quick steering, sharp handling, low cg, good all around visibility, and lots of bins and storage space. The trunk is surprisingly large for such a small, mid-engine car.

The cons include a lot of noise since the engine is directly behind the passenger compartment, a notchy gearbox that makes it hard to shift with a light touch (Hondas have the smoothest gearboxes I’ve ever driven), and finally it is geared way too low. At about 100 km/h (62.5 mph) it is turning 3000 RPM, and at 70 mph it is turning just a tick under 3500 RPM. The gear ratios are also very closely spaced and as a result the engine almost never lugs or bogs, which is good, but the car could certainly use another gear or two.

Many of the parts in the car are familiar. To borrow a line from many an article about cars, Toyota made liberal use of the corporate parts bin in developing the MR2, and that’s NOT a bad thing. It was a good bin. Keeping in mind that this is a car with 150k miles on it, it’s not exactly like it was the day it drove off the showroom floor. But overall it is a fantastic package. Toyota should be awarded honors (I believe they were) for producing this. It’s amazing that 17 years after its launch this car is still this good. I wish they’d make a new model.

When it came out it was proclaimed as the poor man’s Ferrari. Looking at it today one might think of a Lotus Elise, also powered by a 4 cylinder Toyota engine, albeit with more power, less weight, and uncompromising in its mission of providing thrills. And of course there is the well publicized electric car that is based on an Elise. Perhaps in today’s context the MR2 could be converted into a poor man’s Tesla?

NHTSA Grants Tesla Airbag Exemption

This is late but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) granted Tesla's petition for an exemption on advanced airbags on January 28th. The roadsters will, however, be equipped with standard dual airbags (like the ones that were around before "smart" airbags). Read the full PDF here.

AutoBlogGreen quoted my comments to NHTSA on the Tesla petition for a 3 year waiver on advanced airbags. Here's the letter I wrote last year (PDF) in support of the exemption.