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May 15, 2020 12:02 am

Tesla's Secret Batteries Aim To Rework the Math For Electric Cars and the Grid

Electric car maker Tesla plans to introduce a new low-cost, long-life battery in its Model 3 sedan in China later this year or early next that it expects will bring the cost of electric vehicles in line with gasoline models, and allow EV batteries to have second and third lives in the electric power grid. Reuters reports: For months, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has been teasing investors, and rivals, with promises to reveal significant advances in battery technology during a "Battery Day" in late May. New, low-cost batteries designed to last for a million miles of use and enable electric Teslas to sell profitably for the same price or less than a gasoline vehicle are just part of Musk's agenda. With a global fleet of more than 1 million electric vehicles that are capable of connecting to and sharing power with the grid, Tesla's goal is to achieve the status of a power company, competing with such traditional energy providers as Pacific Gas & Electric and Tokyo Electric Power. The new "million mile" battery at the center of Tesla's strategy was jointly developed with China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd and deploys technology developed by Tesla in collaboration with a team of academic battery experts recruited by Musk. Eventually, improved versions of the battery, with greater energy density and storage capacity and even lower cost, will be introduced in additional Tesla vehicles in other markets, including North America. Tesla's plan to launch the new battery first in China and its broader strategy to reposition the company have not previously been reported. "Tesla's new batteries will rely on innovations such as low-cobalt and cobalt-free battery chemistries, and the use of chemical additives, materials and coatings that will reduce internal stress and enable batteries to store more energy for longer periods," the report adds. The company is also employing new high-speed, heavily automated battery manufacturing processes to reduce labor costs and increase production. According to the report, Tesla will produce the new batteries "in massive 'terafactories' about 30 times the size of the company's sprawling Nevada 'gigafactory.'" Finally, in addition to improving the recycling and recovery of expensive metals, Tesla is working on new "second life" applications of electric vehicle batteries in grid storage systems. "The automaker also has said it wants to supply electricity to consumers and businesses, but has not provided details," Reuters reports.

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