I'm just wondering if the new version of the car is structurally different between the different battery options? Specifically if I was to buy the short range option now (which would, range wise at least, cover all my driving needs) would I be able to purchase additional battery modules in the future to increase the car's range? I love the idea of solo offroad camping trips in the car, but can't justify the additional cost right now for 1% of my driving. One of the things that interests me about this car is the company's support for right to repair, and this kind of thing seems to line up with that.
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Chris has said that this hasn't been fully decided yet, but the desire to make the battery pack a structural member works against it. I would guess this is especially true of the 1000 mile range version.
We will have to be patient with this one.
The schematics show a certain battery framework and that has me wondering if that holds the 1000 mile battery as well as the 250 mile battery. It would be a nice feature to be able to add more range later if you feel you need it. Has this been addressed?
My understanding is that this is being considered, but I would guess the exact engineering details haven't been completely decided yet. There are some potentially competing engineering concerns.
I imagine the battery modules form a part of the structure. They might have to reinforce the composite to compensate for the lack of battery in the lower range versions. Or they could have dummy battery structures that bolt in where the battery would go, but that would increase the part count. I'm sure they'll figure it out right