Musk says Leaf battery primitive.

[LEAFfan]

Doesn't Phoenix have 100º in the winter?

LOL, you've never been to Phoenix in the winter? We have 60's and 70's during most of the winter season. The coldest it usually gets is 28 F, but very rarely...usually above freezing at night.

 

[garygid]

Actually, I have been there in the winter and it was quite pleasant.

But, we were in Seattle for 10 days and we had sunshine most of every day.

 

[evnow]

But, we were in Seattle for 10 days and we had sunshine most of every day.

LOL. Seattle is actually very dry in summer.

 

[jkirkebo]

Entirely safe environment for Tesla's batteries? ONLY IF the cooling system continues to function...if it doesn't for whatever reason, FIRE IN THE HOLE!

No. The car monitors battery (and motor) temperature closely. If it gets too hot it will shut down, both driving and charging.

 

[MikeBoxwell]

That is correct. I haven't pulled apart a Tesla battery pack, but what I would expect to find is a system for monitoring the temperature of each cell throughout the pack with a fail-safe shut down system should a cell overheat. Maxim do a wonderful temperature and humidity sensor that is ideal for this purpose. It's very small, very reliable and communicates through the power lines.

Most chargers charge lithium cells in separate banks. If one bank gets too hot, the charger switches off charging to the entire bank until it has cooled, whilst continuing to charge all the other banks.

 

[garygid]

So, on 6200 cells, if one temperature sensor fails to detect one too-hot cell ... disaster? But, considering the choices in inexpensive, widely-available cells, Tesla seems to have done a remarkable job.

I prefer (if possible) the cell chemistry that will tolerate HEAVY overheating (or burning) without a significant, toxic health danger. After all, the "burning" might come from the ICE that hits your car!

 

[evnow]

No. The car monitors battery (and motor) temperature closely. If it gets too hot it will shut down, both driving and charging.

I don't know about this particular case - but in general if runaway reaction starts, shutting down driving or charging makes no difference.

 

[jkirkebo]

No. The car monitors battery (and motor) temperature closely. If it gets too hot it will shut down, both driving and charging.

I don't know about this particular case - but in general if runaway reaction starts, shutting down driving or charging makes no difference.

Yes, but the monitoring system should shut down the pack WAY before any thermal runaway action could occur. The safety margins are pretty big.

Also every cell has two fuses.

 

[LEAFguy]

cool to see that Nissan surrounded by Norway snow...should help calm people wanting a leaf in Canada and northern US states.

Gavin

The team used the vehicle for 6 years in one of the northernmost settlements in the world. With 38 inhabitants and no Nissan dealership nearby, the Prairie received little to no maintenance. The battery performed flawlessly during this extended durability test.

I would love to know more about how many miles it was run each day and all that...how many miles it had on it after the 6 years, any downtime at all? etc

Sorry for the delayed response. I didn't see this until just now. Here is what Nissan had to say about this experiment. Scroll down to the "Hideaki Horie" sub-head for the expedition story.

 

[AndyH]

The experiment vehicle, according to Nissan, used older style (and Tesla-style) LiCo cells not the current LiMn cells found in the Leaf battery box.