How could Tesla innovate their way out of their current mess?

 

Copy the Chinese! Didn't the Chinese invent a way to swap out batteries real fast? Why not steal their ideas for a change.

Do them one better than that. Perhaps you could add a range extender in the form of a hydrogen fuel cell that you could rent. Most people drive short distances. If you install a short range battery and reduce the price, it could be a sweetner for sales. Add the convenience of battery swapping, and a hydrogen range extender, and you could make the cars more affordable to own and operate.

How big does a fuel cell have to be? Not that big, in my opinion. It could be just big enough to supply the vehicle with power and a little extra for charging the battery. On the highway, a vehicle needs only about 20 horsepower.

Stations that swap batteries could also supply range extenders. To move hydrogen into place, use ammonia, and crack the ammonia at the distribution site.

Quick Update:

Does anybody remember this? Why hasn't it been developed? Seems to me that you could make ammonia out of the bicarbonates in the sea, and then ship it all over the world. These would power their autos through the fuel cell.

6:00PM:

There's a car made by Honda that fits the description of what I was referring to, but is pretty heavy. That puzzles me. ( It doesn't have a power unit swap out capability).