Road Damage = $50K Battery Repair

[WasserGKuehlt]

okay this is just great... i think i need to park my car and never drive it again because i'm scared of this shit happening to me!

Nah.. just don’t go to Colorado.

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[tayCanadian]

Nah.. just don’t go to Colorado.

I'm in Toronto - bet you a new battery that our roads are worse than Colorado's!

 

[submatrix]

I saw a poor soul on Facebook post that his battery took some debris damage, piercing and overheating it.
Because it was caused by road damage, warranty does not apply.

Some commenters suggested he file with insurance, but that's not good news either as it will translate into higher premiums for all of us once insurance companies pay a few of these out.

I'm a big fan of electrics but I have to admit this gives me pause.
It even made me start looking at Targas again...especially since Porsche is being pigheaded about not electrifying the 911, and an E-Targa would be my dream car.

FWIW it does say the damage is larger than 3mm which suggests to me that 3mm is simply the minimum to be considered severe damage. It's entirely possible his damage was a lot more than 3mm.

 

[f1eng]

It may not be the case if the future. Tesla used to have repairable batteries, but recently switched do disposable ones instead. The latest Tesla batteries are designed to be ground down into sand, which is in turn recycled by treating it as an ultra rich ore. According to their numbers this has a lot of benefits, from simplifying production, skipping repair/refurbish steps, and it recaptures most of the materials for new batteries. Their sales pitch does seem to make sense - cheap unrepairable but 99% easily recyclable batteries. If this proves out, I suspect the rest of the industry will follow. Today Tesla has the most experience and data on EV and battery production and lifecycle, so they do have the most credibility.

I have read about this.
I sounds arse backwards to me but if it makes the most profit that will indeed be the way we go.

I am an old bloke and making things disposable goes against the grain with me, I know it has happened with most digital home gadgets, including phones and computers.
I hate it personally.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

I'm in Toronto - bet you a new battery that our roads are worse than Colorado's!

Video of an airborne Taycan or it didn’t happen.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

making things disposable goes against the grain with me

I didn’t interpret it as making the battery disposable, just that it’s hard to fight entropy. It might be more energy or cost effective to not try and reverse the assembly process - the resulting sub components might be tainted contaminated anyway. If the ratio of metal to (battery compound elements) is small, then grinding it back into “ore” might actually be the economical (and ecological) option.

(*edit: tainted -> contaminated)

 

[SHM]

I know somebody that had a Tesla model S full battery replacement out of warranty costing 10000 euro. (with a refurbished battery)
How can a Taycan battery replacement be 5 times more expensive ?

You pay more for the premium feeling.

 

[feye]

I'm a big fan of electrics but I have to admit this gives me pause.
It even made me start looking at Targas again...especially since Porsche is being pigheaded about not electrifying the 911, and an E-Targa would be my dream car.

They will eventually electrify the 911. The EU will make it happen.

 

[DerekS]

They will eventually electrify the 911. The EU will make it happen.

I hope I am still alive by that point. They've been very negative about it in the press, blathering about some "e-fuel" nonsense instead.

 

[Jhenson29]

You pay more for the premium feeling.

Taycan battery is in full leather with cell massagers.

 

[Jonathan S.]

Taycan battery is in full leather with cell massagers.

Let’s not overlook the option for color matching.

 

[DougFrisk]

Taycan battery is in full leather with cell massagers.

You forgot the deviated stitching is also included in the 93 KWh battery.

 

[jvdsanden]

You pay more for the premium feeling.

Its a Porsche….

 

[JWreck]

Last Friday I ran over a piece of metal that was sticking up from where a bridge and the roadway meet - there are metal rails at that junction point - doing 80mph in moderate traffic. I did not see the chunk of metal until it was too late, and since the metal was wedged in the spacing/gap between the road and the bridge there was no give to the debris and it did a number on the car.

My CT4s when airborne for a second and when I hit the ground I realized I had no steering, and I could not budge the steering wheel . Luckily, the wheels were still point mostly straight, so I slowed down as I drifted to the shoulder. The car next to me saw what happened and gave me some clear space to drift off the road. If the wheel had been more at an angle, I would have hit other traffic, or flown right off the highway at speed.

It was some scary shit.

I had the car towed to the Porsche dealership, and am still waiting to hear the full extent of the damage. I have my insurance company engaged, and told them to kiss my ass because they wanted the car sent to a 3rd party repair facility. Until I know if there is any damage to the battery, no one is looking at the car other than a certified Porsche mechanic.

In the pictures you can see how high the debris was sticking up and the damaged it caused to the front underside of the car. I am hoping that by going airborne for a second I cleared the battery of any damage.

I went out the next morning to where the chunk of metal was sticking up, and that had damaged more cars than my own, and the Colorado Dept of Transportation had been out over night to do repairs. Luckily, in Colorado, if you can establish that the roadway debris was there because of shoddy work on the part of the state, they will pay for repairs. I am going down this path because I don't want the insurance company to have to carry the massive financial burden it will cost to fully repair my CT4S.

That’s crazy! But also,*wave* to fellow Dolomite Silver CT4S and Rivian (R1S) owner!

 

[thecoloradokid]

That’s crazy! But also,*wave* to fellow Dolomite Silver CT4S and Rivian (R1S) owner!

I love my R1T. Not as much as my CT4s, but the Rivian is saving my bacon now since I am down a vehicle.

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