[patd]

I honestly fail to see the issue. Running diesel generators to handle peak demand may not be the greenest move but it was likely the best move before they could come up with a better solution. Should they have left users stranded because they couldn't charge ?

What did you expect from Tesla powerwall ? It's another use of the same battery tech they had in their cars allowing them to use the same supply to build two products. Most of the added value of the powerwall is in the software and the battery management, not in the form-factor of the batteries. I suppose most home batteries are just repackaging batteries used in other industries.

[jsnell]

At that time, Tesla claimed to be running battery swap stations, and was receiving massive subsidies from California for it. The entire point of the story is that the battery swaps were not being used even in situations where they would make the most sense, and the alternative was expensive and based on fossile fuels.

The implication is that Tesla was committing fraud, taking the subsidies and not in providing the promised service in exchange.

[_ea1k]

Battery swap stations still have to charge the batteries being swapped. If diesel was needed for charging the cars, it would have been needed for those too.

The battery swap station was offered to a small subset of owners. From what they claim, the reviews weren't overly positive.

TBH, I prefer charging the battery while in the car over a system like that in general.

[number6]

Change nothing until you create perfect conditions. No partial steps of experiments allowed. Remember the first car with its 500 mile autonomy, air-conditioned and with Bluetooth for mobile phones invented centuries later. The golden age!