Tesla's new battery generation is being developed in a secret area

Alexander Klimnov, photo by Tesla and Teslarati.com

Today Tesla Inc. is working very hard on the next generation of its own batteries. They have to store significantly more energy and at the same time become much cheaper.

New batteries can begin to be used on a promising Tesla pickup (drawing of a possible pickup, which, according to other sources, may become more brutal, since America's current bestseller Ford F-series will have to be swept away from the market)

The Californians were the ones who created the first high-power lithium-ion battery packs suitable for mass production of electric vehicles, thus dramatically increasing their range. Back then, Tesla's first-born Roadster consisted of thousands of conventional laptop batteries, now lithium-ion batteries are being created for electric vehicles. Many manufacturers now make them, but Tesla's cutting-edge technology continues to lead the way in the energy-intensive battery segment. However, the first information about the next even more powerful generation of Tesla batteries began to leak into the world media.

Technological breakthrough through business acquisitions
The revolutionary leap in terms of Tesla's battery design is likely to come from the acquisition of Tesla Inc. by Maxwell Technologies of San Diego. Maxwell manufactures supercapacitors (ionisters) and is actively researching solid-state (dry) electrode technology. According to Maxwell, using this technology, an energy capacity of 300 Wh / kg has already been achieved on prototypes of batteries. The challenge for the future is a breakthrough to the energy intensity level of more than 500 Wh / kg. In addition, the production cost of solid-state batteries should be 10-20% lower than those currently used by Tesla with liquid electrolyte. The California-based company also announced another bonus - a predicted doubling of battery life. Thus, Tesla will be able to achieve the coveted 400-mile (643.6 km) range of its electric vehicles and achieve full competitiveness with conventional cars for price.

The new supercar Tesla Roadster of 2020 will be able to reach the declared range of 640 km only on fundamentally new batteries

Tesla has planned its own battery production?
German website for Auto motor und sport magazine reports persistent rumors about Tesla's deployment of its own battery production. Until now, the Japanese manufacturer Panasonic supplied battery cells (cells) to the Californians - for the Model S and Model X they are imported directly from Japan, and for the Model 3 the cells are produced at the Gigafactory 1 facility in the US state of Nevada. The production at Gigafactory 1 is jointly operated by Panasonic and Tesla. Recently, however, this has led to huge controversy, as Panasonic apparently was disappointed with Tesla's sales figures and also feared that the Californians would not expand this battery production in the future.

The intrigue of the launch of the compact Tesla Model Y in 2020 was the source of the battery supply

In particular, the rhythmic supply of batteries for the Model Y announced already in the fall of 2020 has been called into question by Panasonic CEO Kazuhiro Zuga. Currently, Panasonic has stopped its investment in Gigafactory 1 altogether. Tesla may want to become independent from the Japanese by mastering its own production of battery cells.
Tesla is today the leader in high-capacity battery technology for electric vehicles, and Californians are determined to defend this fundamental competitive advantage. The acquisition of Maxwell Technologies may be the decisive step, but it depends on how far the San Diego technicians have actually moved towards bringing revolutionary solid-state battery technology to market.

If the revolutionary solid-state battery technology really takes place, then it is possible that the Tesla Semi electric tractor unit will become a bestseller in the truck market, like the Model 3 in a passenger car.

So far, many automakers are setting up their own battery cell production. It seems that Tesla wants to become more independent from its supplier Panasonic and is therefore also conducting research in this area.
With the availability of a sufficient number of revolutionary high-energy solid-state batteries, Tesla will gain a decisive advantage in the market and, finally, release the really cheap and long-range electric vehicles promised by its owner Elon Muskov for a long time, which will cause an avalanche-like growth of the BEV market.
According to CNBC sources, Tesla's secret laboratory is located in a separate building near the Tesla factory in Fremont (photo behind the splash screen). Earlier, there were reports about a closed "laboratory zone" located on the second floor of the enterprise. Probably the current battery division is the successor to that former laboratory, but even more classified.

Tesla will only be able to achieve a real breakthrough in the automotive market if its line of models becomes even more "long-range" with a significant price reduction

According to analysts at IHS Markit, the most expensive element of a modern electric vehicle is the battery, but it is not Tesla that gets most of the money for it, but Panasonic.
Insiders are not yet able to report on the real achievements of the secret Tesla laboratory. Elon Musk is expected to share it at the end of the year during a traditional conference call with investors.
Earlier it was reported that Tesla plans to sell 1,000 Tesla Model 3 electric vehicles per day. Tesla's current monthly record for Model 3 shipments is 90,700 EVs. If the company manages to deliver the planned number of electric vehicles in June, then this record could be broken.

(the average: 4,83 out of 5)

Tesla Motors is the creator of truly revolutionary eco-vehicles, which are not only mass-produced, but also have unique characteristics that allow them to be used literally every day. Today we take a look inside the Tesla Model S battery, find out how it works and uncover the magic of this battery's success.

1. According to the North American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Model S requires one charge of 85 kWh batteries to travel more than 400 km, which is the most significant indicator among similar vehicles on the specialized market. To accelerate to 100 km / h, the electric car takes only 4.4 seconds.

2. The key to the success of this model is the availability of lithium-ion batteries, the main components of which are supplied for Tesla by Panasonic. Tesla batteries are steeped in legends. And therefore one of the owners of such a battery decided to violate its integrity and find out what it is inside. By the way, the cost of such a battery is 45,000 USD.

The battery is located in the underbody, giving the Tesla a low center of gravity and excellent handling. It is attached to the body by means of brackets.

Tesla battery. We disassemble

3. The battery compartment is formed by 16 blocks, which are connected in parallel and shielded from the environment by means of metal plates, as well as a plastic cover that prevents water ingress.

5. Before completely disassembling it, the voltage was measured, which confirmed the working condition of the battery.

The battery assembly is characterized by high density and precise fit of parts. The entire picking process takes place in a completely clean room, using robots.

6. Each unit consists of 74 cells, which are very similar in appearance to simple finger-type batteries (Panasonic Li-ion cells), divided into 6 groups. At the same time, it is almost impossible to find out the scheme of their placement and operation - this is a big secret, which means that it will be extremely difficult to make a replica of this battery. We are unlikely to see a Chinese analogue of the Tesla Model S battery!

The positive electrode is graphite, and the negative one is nickel, cobalt and aluminum oxide. The indicated amount of electrical voltage in the capsule is 3.6V.

7. Tesla battery cooling system.

8. The most powerful battery available (its capacity is 85 kWh) consists of 7104 such batteries. And it weighs about 540 kg, and its parameters are 210 cm long, 150 cm wide and 15 cm thick. The amount of energy generated by just one unit out of 16 is equal to the amount produced by a hundred batteries from laptop computers.

9. When assembling its batteries, Tesla uses elements produced in various countries, such as India, China, Mexico, but the final revision and assembly are made in the United States. The company provides warranty service for its products for up to 8 years.

The main problem of electric cars is not infrastructure at all, but the "batteries" themselves. It is not so difficult to put a charger in every parking lot. And it is quite possible to tighten the power of the electric networks. If anyone doesn't believe this, remember the explosive growth of cellular networks. In literally 10 years, operators have deployed infrastructure around the world at times more complicated and more expensive than what is needed for electric cars. There will be an “endless” cash flow and development prospects, so the topic will be brought up quickly and without much ado.

A simple calculation of the tesla model S battery economy

First, let's figure out “what is this hot dog made of”. Unfortunately, on the manufacturer's website, performance characteristics are published for a buyer who does not like to remember even Ohm's law, so I had to look for information and do my own rough estimates.
What do we know about this battery?
There are three options, which are labeled by kilowatt-hours: 40, 60 and 85 kWh (40 has already been discontinued).

It is known that the battery is assembled from serial 18650 Li-Ion 3.7v batteries. Manufacturer Sanyo (aka Panasonic), the capacity of each can is supposedly 2600mAh, and the weight is 48g Most likely there are alternative supplies, but the performance characteristics should be ~ the same and the bulk of the conveyor comes from the world leader.

(In serial cars, battery assemblies look completely different \u003d)
They say that the weight of a full battery is ~ 500kg (it is clear that it depends on the capacity). Let's discard the protective shell, the heating / cooling system, little things and wiring weighing, well, let's say, 100 kg. There remains ~ 400 kg of batteries. With a weight of one can of 48g, roughly ~ 8000-10000 cans come out.
Let's check the assumption:
85,000 watt-hours / 3.7 volts \u003d ~ 23,000 ampere-hours
23000 / 2.6 \u003d ~ 8850 cans
That is ~ 425kg
So it roughly converges. We can argue that there are ~ 2600mAh elements in the amount of about 8k.
So I stumbled upon the film after the calculations \u003d). Here it is vaguely reported that the battery consists of more than 7 thousand cells.

Now we can easily figure out the financial side of the issue.
Each can to the average retail buyer costs ~ $ 6.5 TODAY.
In order not to be unfounded, I confirm with a screen. Paired kits for $ 13.85:


The wholesale price from the factory will apparently be almost 2 times lower. That is, somewhere around $ 3.5-4 per piece. you can even buy one bibik (8000-9000 pieces are already a serious wholesale).
And it turns out that the cost of the battery cells themselves for the battery today is ~ $ 30,000. Of course, Tesla gets them much cheaper.
According to the manufacturer's specification (Sanyo), we have 1000 guaranteed recharge cycles. In fact, there is written at least 1000, but the fact is that for ~ 8000 cans the minimum will be relevant.
Thus, if we take the standard average mileage of a car per year 25000 km (that is, somewhere ~ 1-2 charges per week), we get approximately 13 years before being completely unusable by 100%. But these banks lose almost half of their capacity after 4 years in this mode (this fact is recorded for this type of batteries). In fact, they are still working under warranty, but the car has half the mileage. Operation in this form loses all meaning.
This means that somewhere around $ 30-40k for 4 years of normal roll-off is scrapped. Against this background, any calculations of charging costs look ridiculous (there will be ~ $ 2-4k of electricity for the entire life of the battery \u003d).
Even from these rough figures, one can estimate the prospects for ousting "ICE-stinkers" from the car market.
For a sedan similar to the Model S with an internal combustion engine at 25000 km per year, it will take ~ $ 2500-3000 for gasoline. For 4 years, respectively, ~ $ 10-14k.

conclusions

Until the price of batteries falls 2.5 times (or fuel prices rise 2.5 times \u003d), it's too early to talk about a massive market takeover.
However, the prospects are excellent. Battery manufacturers will increase capacity. The batteries will become lighter. They will contain less rare earth metals.
As soon as for similar cans (3.7v) affordable wholesale price for a container of 1000mAh will be reduced to $ 0.6-0.5, mass movement in electric cars will begin (gasoline will become ~ equal in consumption).
I recommend monitoring other form factors of "batteries" as well. Perhaps their prices will vary unevenly.
My guess is that these price cuts will take place even before the next revolution in chemical battery technology. This will a fast evolutionary process that will take 2-5 years.
There remains, of course, the risk of a sharp rise in demand for such batteries. As a result, there is a shortage of raw materials or supplies, but it seems to me that everything will be all right. Similar risks have been greatly overestimated in the past, and as a result, things have somehow improved.
One more interesting point should be noted here. Tesla doesn't just seal 8k cans into one canned food. The batteries undergo difficult testing, are matched to each other, a high-quality circuit is created, a cunning cooling system is added, a bunch of controllers, sensors and other high-current filling, which is not yet available to the average buyer. So it will be cheaper to buy a new battery from Tesl than to save money and take any canoe. And it turns out that Tesla immediately signed all buyers for consumables that cost 10 times more than the charge energy itself... This is good business \u003d).
It's another matter that competitors will appear soon. For example, BMW is about to launch an electric i-series (I will most likely invest in BMW shares instead of Tesla for many years). And then - more.

Bonus. How will the global market change?

In terms of the main raw materials for auto production, steel consumption will drop sharply. Aluminum from the internal combustion engine will move into body parts, because it is no longer possible to make electric car bodies from steel (too heavy). Without the internal combustion engine, complex and heavy steel components are not needed. In the car (and in the infrastructure) there will be much more copper, more polymers, more electronics, but almost no steel (at least in the traction elements + chassis and armor. Everything). Even battery wrappers will do without tin \u003d).
The consumption of oils, greases, fluids and all kinds of additives will be reduced to almost zero. Stinking fuel will go down in history. However, more and more polymers will be needed, so Gazprom remains on top \u003d). On the whole, it is irrational to “burn” oil. It can be used to make solid and durable products of the highest technological level. So the age of hydrocarbons will not end with electric cars, but reforms in this market will be serious and painful.

The loss of battery capacity during operation is one of the problems of electric vehicles, despite the fact that this process is the norm for any device equipped with lithium-ion batteries. However, experts at Plug-in America found that the electric car is an exception in this regard.

So they spent independent research , which showed that the loss of power from the Model S battery, even with long mileage, is small. In particular, the battery pack of this car, on average, loses 5% of its capacity after the car overcomes the mark of 50 thousand miles (80 thousand km), and with a run of more than 100 thousand miles (160 thousand km) - and even less than 8% ... The study was conducted using data from 500 Tesla Model S electric vehicles, the total mileage of which was more than 12 million miles (20 million km).

In addition, Plug-in America conducted another study, which showed that in four years (since the Tesla Model S entered the market), the number of calls to Tesla service stations due to problems with a battery, electric motor or charger has decreased significantly. device.

Battery capacity can be affected by several factors such as how often the battery is fully charged, periods of uncharged time, and the number of quick charges. Plugin America data also shows that replacement rates for major components have improved significantly:

Such data are encouraging, but despite this, Tesla continues to work on improving its battery and cell technology. The company began a scientific collaboration with the Jeff Dahn research group at Dalhousie University. This department specializes in extending the life of lithium-ion battery cells, and its goal is to maximize battery life with little loss of power.

Note that the Tesla Model S battery, as well as the car itself, has been warranted for 8 years since 2014 and without any mileage restrictions. Then the head of Tesla Elon Musk explained the adoption of such a decision as follows: "If we really believe that electric motors are much more reliable than internal combustion engines, with fewer moving parts ... then our warranty policy should reflect this."

Let's take a look inside the battery of a Tesla Model S electric car and find out how it works.

According to the North American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Model S only needs a single charge of 85 kWh batteries to travel more than 400 km, which is the most significant indicator among similar vehicles on the specialized market. To accelerate to 100 km / h, the electric car takes only 4.4 seconds.

The key to the success of this model is the availability of lithium-ion batteries, the main components of which are supplied for Tesla by Panasonic. Tesla batteries are steeped in legends. And therefore one of the owners of such a battery decided to violate its integrity and find out what it is inside. By the way, the cost of such a battery is 45,000 USD.

The battery is located in the underbody, giving the Tesla a low center of gravity and excellent handling. It is attached to the body by means of brackets.

We disassemble:

The battery compartment is formed by 16 blocks, which are connected in parallel and shielded from the environment by means of metal plates, as well as a plastic cover that prevents water ingress.

Before completely disassembling it, the electrical voltage was measured, confirming the working condition of the battery.

The battery assembly is characterized by high density and precise fit of parts. The entire picking process takes place in a completely clean room, using robots.

Each unit consists of 74 cells, very similar in appearance to simple finger-type batteries (Panasonic lithium-ion cells), divided into 6 groups. At the same time, it is almost impossible to find out the scheme of their placement and operation - this is a big secret, which means that it will be extremely difficult to make a replica of this battery. We are unlikely to see a Chinese analogue of the Tesla Model S battery.

The positive electrode is graphite, and the negative is nickel, cobalt and alumina. The indicated amount of electrical voltage in the capsule is 3.6V.

The most powerful battery available (85 kWh) consists of 7104 such batteries. And it weighs about 540 kg, and its parameters are 210 cm long, 150 cm wide and 15 cm thick. The amount of energy generated by just one unit out of 16 is equal to the amount produced by a hundred batteries from laptop computers.

When assembling its batteries, Tesla uses elements produced in various countries, such as India, China, Mexico, but the final revision and assembly are made in the United States. The company provides warranty service for its products for up to 8 years.

Now you also know what the battery of the Tesla Model S electric car consists of.