Electric pioneer Tesla: With software against the Range Anxiety – Business Week

The battery electric vehicle runs out quickly, loading takes a long time: the fear of being are without electricity, inhibits car buyers. Tesla founder Elon Musk wants to have solved the problem – with a software update.

The electric car manufacturer Tesla has announced a comprehensive software update for its Model S sedan. The system should warn the driver to stay inadvertently be because of the low range. “It will be impossible to drive the battery empty if you do not do on purpose,” announced Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a conference call. An intelligent charging system should also eliminate range anxiety.

What obstacles electric cars fight

• Price

  Still the pure electric cars are more expensive than their gasoline counterparts. An example: The E-Volkswagen Golf is to have from 35 000 €. A golf with comparable equipment costs only 24 150 euros. But that could change. According to the calculations of the engineering firm P3 are electric vehicles from 2018 when price competitive, if not at an advantage. This new batteries are used as a basis, show a higher nickel content.

• The range of

  The battery technology, which is responsible for the price, is the reason for another crucial point: For the E-Golf Volkswagen is a range of 130 to 190 kilometers to. For a trip to the South that should hardly enough, especially as the number of charging points in Germany compared to conventional petrol is still small. . Also, the expected change but with the advancement of battery technology

• Infrastructure

  Especially in the country, the short range become a problem. Germany is, according to the National Electric Mobility Platform with 4,800 charging points at 2,400 locations in international midfield. After the EU Commission’s draft, 2020 in Germany 150 000. publicly accessible charging points will be. For comparison: According to the ADAC, the number of conventional gas stations in 2013 was 14,328

• support

  Smart boss Annette Winkler advocates have long been open to the promotion of electric cars. This may not necessarily be financial incentives: The Bundestag recently allowed municipalities to reserve free parking for electric cars and to allow them to use bus lanes. Whether sufficient doubts among other VDA President Matthias Wissmann. He calls for financial stimulus – such as special depreciation rules for company cars. In other countries such as the US, China and France buyers get cash from the state when buying an electric car.

• Offer

  According to figures from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) rolled end of 2014, nearly 19,000 pure electric cars on German roads. The number of so-called plug-in hybrids, which counts the Federal Government to the electric cars and be refueled both the classical gas station and at the outlet was 108 000. A total of 44.4 million cars traveling in Germany. The goal of the federal government electrically operated one million electric cars by 2020 is thus still a long way off. The selection process can not lie: Last year, 17 new series models were loud Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) with electric drive on the market. 2015 again twelve more to come. Even the electrostatic skeptical Porsche boss plans apparently with an E-Car: Last Müller joined no longer that the planned end of the decade next Porsche model is operated purely electrically

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About a “Trip Planner” to the carriage calculate the best route for the rides – and not only, as previously reported into account in the card charging stations. Instead, the car will check every 30 seconds, which charging station is the best for the current location and whether it is still free, so Musk. “There are many Tesla compatible charging stations, such as hotels that need to be networked easy for them to show up in the system and the cars they drive.” The system should include not only the Tesla’s fast-charging stations, but also include ordinary charging stations with .

Tesla is regarded as one of the major challenger to the established car companies. In an interview, Deputy Chief Jerome Guillen about the Apple Car, growth plans and Tesla founder Elon Musk.

are the solution of Tesla So not larger batteries that allow higher ranges to dispel the doubts of the customers. “We could build battery packs already, make the 500-mile range possible,” says Musk. “The drivers would but then a lot of lugging around in everyday unused capacity with it. And that is difficult and expensive. I think batteries with a range of 250 to 300 miles for optimal. “

In order to obtain the software update, but the Tesla customers do not have in the workshop, as the carmaker can distribute its software and wireless , “Tesla is a software company, as well as a hardware company. We bring for our computers on wheels software updates out how it happens with smartphones, “said Musk.

Also included in the update more security assistants, such as an enhanced collision warning or a Blind Spot Warner. In a new version of the software that will come on the market in three months, Tesla will also bring a steering assistance in his car. “It will then be possible to drive from San Francisco to Seattle without touching the steering wheel. This is great, “says Musk. But he curtailed demand that the system will only come on highways and main roads used – and not in a residential installation. “Even if it were technically possible to automatically run from parking lot to parking lot.”

The California automaker has sold in the past year about 31,000 electric cars. Thus, Tesla was slightly below the plan of 35,000 vehicles. 2015 Musk is targeting sales of 55,000 electric cars. In the third quarter of this year, the electric SUV Model X will come on the market.