The most critical step in TSLA battery technology -Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment
The move to cobalt-free batteries is its most significant move yet, and the company is making a big bet on cobalt-free rechargeable battery technology
Why doesn't everyone drive electric cars? One of the big reasons is price. If you compare an electric car with an internal combustion engine vehicle (ICE) of the same specification, you will find that the former is at least 10,000-15,000 pounds (about 88,000-132,000 yuan) more expensive than the latter. Even though EVs will be much cheaper when purchased and used, there is no denying that the high initial premium is a considerable disincentive to widespread early adoption of EVs.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
While some of these extra expenses are due to companies trying to recoup the development costs of the new technologies involved, the vast majority come from one factor -- the high price of rechargeable batteries. That's why some of TSLA's recent advances in batteries are its most important to date, and most importantly, it's no longer using cobalt.
To understand this better, let's take an example. In the UK, the TSLAModelSLongRange starts at £77,980 (approximately RMB 690,000). The car has a range of 379 miles (about 610 kilometers, according to the WLTP cycle test standard), while the Plus version has a range of 402 miles (647 kilometers).
But to reach these high numbers, the Model S is equipped with a 100-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery. TSLA doesn't publicly say how much of the Model S's price comes from these batteries, but you can get a rough idea by buying a used TSLA battery and looking at its price, a 5.3 kWh pack costs £1,440 including tax. Yuan).
The current Model S requires 19 of these battery packs to reach a 100-kilowatt-hour capacity. If you multiply the unit price, the total is 27,360 pounds (about 240,000 yuan). In other words, more than a third of the price of the TSLA Model S may just be the cost of the battery. More common entry-level EVs still have at least 40 kWh today (like Nissan's base Leaf), and most have 50 kWh or more.
As a result, most EVs cost over £10,000 for the battery alone, which explains why they are so expensive. Bloomberg New Energy Finance confirms these calculations, predicting that in 2020 the cost of batteries will account for 30% of the cost of electric vehicles. By contrast, a diesel locomotive only needs a metal box for fuel.
Lithium battery cost as a percentage of total EV cost
Back to some recent news from TSLA. The company has made a big bet on rechargeable battery technology that does not use cobalt. Cobalt is one of the big reasons why lithium batteries are so expensive. It's also fraught with political issues, as mining can be in conflict zones, such as Congo, where its production is considered quite polluting. But cobalt is used because it supplies the energy density the batteries need to last for hundreds of miles per charge.
A few months ago, it was revealed that TSLA was working with CATL New Energy (CATL) to develop lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which could be a real game changer. LFP batteries do not use cobalt and have a magical tendency to push below $100 per kilowatt-hour (wholesale price), a price considered to be the threshold at which EVs are cheaper than diesel vehicles.
According to James Frith, head of energy storage at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the price of batteries per kilowatt-hour topped $1,000 in 2010 and was $381 in 2015. , now about 147 US dollars (about 1030 yuan). Frith estimates that LFP batteries will reach $100 per kilowatt-hour (about 700 yuan) in 2023 or 2024, and only $61 (about 427 yuan) in 2030.
Lithium battery price per kWh
TSLA also recently patented the cathode technology, which greatly increases the number of charge cycles. Current lithium battery technology allows 1,000 to 1,500 charges, which may not seem like much, but you can't charge a car every day like a cell phone, and smart management will distribute charge cycles among the different batteries. You only need to charge an electric car once a week or so, which means 1,500 charges can last for 25 years.
The TSLA battery team, led by Jeff Dahn, has patented a new TSLA technology that can increase charge cycles to nearly 4,000 cycles, which is about 75 years if charged once a week—hence the The so-called million-mile battery.
Recently, the TSLA team led by Jeff Dahn has applied for a number of patents for new metallic lithium/anode batteries, which could dramatically increase energy density and thus drastically reduce costs. If these technologies become commercially viable, they could revolutionize battery durability and price.
A former senior researcher at Nissan is developing another upcoming technology called all-polymer batteries, which he claims could reduce current prices by 90 percent.
Why doesn't everyone drive electric cars? One of the big reasons is price. If you compare an electric car with an internal combustion engine vehicle (ICE) of the same specification, you will find that the former is at least 10,000-15,000 pounds (about 88,000-132,000 yuan) more expensive than the latter. Even though EVs will be much cheaper when purchased and used, there is no denying that the high initial premium is a considerable disincentive to widespread early adoption of EVs.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
While some of these extra expenses are due to companies trying to recoup the development costs of the new technologies involved, the vast majority come from one factor -- the high price of rechargeable batteries. That's why some of TSLA's recent advances in batteries are its most important to date, and most importantly, it's no longer using cobalt.
To understand this better, let's take an example. In the UK, the TSLAModelSLongRange starts at £77,980 (approximately RMB 690,000). The car has a range of 379 miles (about 610 kilometers, according to the WLTP cycle test standard), while the Plus version has a range of 402 miles (647 kilometers).
But to reach these high numbers, the Model S is equipped with a 100-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery. TSLA doesn't publicly say how much of the Model S's price comes from these batteries, but you can get a rough idea by buying a used TSLA battery and looking at its price, a 5.3 kWh pack costs £1,440 including tax. Yuan).
The current Model S requires 19 of these battery packs to reach a 100-kilowatt-hour capacity. If you multiply the unit price, the total is 27,360 pounds (about 240,000 yuan). In other words, more than a third of the price of the TSLA Model S may just be the cost of the battery. More common entry-level EVs still have at least 40 kWh today (like Nissan's base Leaf), and most have 50 kWh or more.
As a result, most EVs cost over £10,000 for the battery alone, which explains why they are so expensive. Bloomberg New Energy Finance confirms these calculations, predicting that in 2020 the cost of batteries will account for 30% of the cost of electric vehicles. By contrast, a diesel locomotive only needs a metal box for fuel.
Lithium battery cost as a percentage of total EV cost
Back to some recent news from TSLA. The company has made a big bet on rechargeable battery technology that does not use cobalt. Cobalt is one of the big reasons why lithium batteries are so expensive. It's also fraught with political issues, as mining can be in conflict zones, such as Congo, where its production is considered quite polluting. But cobalt is used because it supplies the energy density the batteries need to last for hundreds of miles per charge.
A few months ago, it was revealed that TSLA was working with CATL New Energy (CATL) to develop lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which could be a real game changer. LFP batteries do not use cobalt and have a magical tendency to push below $100 per kilowatt-hour (wholesale price), a price considered to be the threshold at which EVs are cheaper than diesel vehicles.
According to James Frith, head of energy storage at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the price of batteries per kilowatt-hour topped $1,000 in 2010 and was $381 in 2015. , now about 147 US dollars (about 1030 yuan). Frith estimates that LFP batteries will reach $100 per kilowatt-hour (about 700 yuan) in 2023 or 2024, and only $61 (about 427 yuan) in 2030.
Lithium battery price per kWh
TSLA also recently patented the cathode technology, which greatly increases the number of charge cycles. Current lithium battery technology allows 1,000 to 1,500 charges, which may not seem like much, but you can't charge a car every day like a cell phone, and smart management will distribute charge cycles among the different batteries. You only need to charge an electric car once a week or so, which means 1,500 charges can last for 25 years.
The TSLA battery team, led by Jeff Dahn, has patented a new TSLA technology that can increase charge cycles to nearly 4,000 cycles, which is about 75 years if charged once a week—hence the The so-called million-mile battery.
Recently, the TSLA team led by Jeff Dahn has applied for a number of patents for new metallic lithium/anode batteries, which could dramatically increase energy density and thus drastically reduce costs. If these technologies become commercially viable, they could revolutionize battery durability and price.
A former senior researcher at Nissan is developing another upcoming technology called all-polymer batteries, which he claims could reduce current prices by 90 percent.
