Aggressive goals at Tesla result in a whole lot on the horizon

By Mike Brown, Member, Electric Auto association

The long-awaited Tesla Battery Day on September 22 has now come and gone. The company, eager to share their latest advances, gave a clear and concise presentation.

During the introductory remarks, Tesla executives stated that their vehicles were “clean sheet of paper” designs, built in factories created from the ground up. Since nothing was commercially available off the shelf, original products were produced. Batteries were adapted from commodity laptop cells which have since evolved into automotive-grade lithium cells. Moving forward, Tesla will use the same approach in creating new batteries with ‘machines that make the machine’.

The following was adapted from a social media post by inverse.com.

Tesla Batteries

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Senior Vice-President of Powertrain and Energy Engineering Drew Baglino took to the stage and detailed five advancements made in battery design. Together, the following will lead to a 54% increase in battery range between charges and more than halve the price per kilowatt-hour, a key metric watched by industry observers:

• Cell design—A new ‘tabless’ design, measuring 46 by 80 mm, enables fast charging and easier manufacturing, even in larger cells, and can add 16% to the total range.

• Cell factory—A new dry electrode process means 10 times less energy spent on cell production and a 75% reduction in investment per gigawatt-hour. Just one line will produce seven times the batteries that an entire production floor can produce today. Tesla is now aiming for three terawatt-hours (3000 Gigawatt-hours) capacity per year in 2030, excluding purchases made  from Korean and Chinese suppliers.

• Anode materials—Silicon is abundant and can store nine times more lithium than the graphite  currently used today. Tesla has designed a method to directly use raw silicon with an “elastic ion conducting polymer coating.” Costing $1.20 per kilowatt-hour, this will help maintain efficient capacity while taking advantage of silicon characteristics. 

• Cathode materials—Tesla aims to totally replace cobalt with nickel in high-end vehicle batteries. Less expensive and with increased energy density, this will eliminate the need to import distressed metal from artisanal mines in the DRC and Zambia. Iron (LiFePO4) will be used for lower range and nickel manganese lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4) for medium-range vehicles.

• Cell vehicle integration—Batteries will be placed in the vehicle to serve a dual purpose: powering the car and helping to ruggedize the structure. This means a 10% reduction in mass, a 14% range increase opportunity, and 370 fewer parts, thereby helping to simplify production.

More aggressive goals revealed

Tesla announced they are looking forward to an eventual annual production rate of 20 million vehicles, and a smaller more affordable ($25,000) yet unnamed car to be released in approximately 3 years. Additionally, using the new battery technology, the new Model S Plaid will have a longer range than ever before (the goal is 520 miles), a higher top speed, and the quickest 0-60 mph time of any production car. Analysts may not have fully understood the ramification of this agenda, but the refinements demonstrate the hard-core engineering that goes into Tesla’s end product and their ability to learn from mistakes. As their products evolve and improve, and the breadth of offerings widen, it is clear that the company is not resting on its laurels.

The following 4 vehicles could spell out C-A-R-S:

Cybertruck pickup truck, set to hit roads in late 2021 at a starting price of $39,900, offers over 500 miles of range at the high end.

Cyberquad ATV, a four wheel off-road EV, will be offered as an optional add-on for the Cybertruck.

The second-generation Roadster, due to launch sometime after the Cybertruck at a starting price of $200,000, will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 1.9 seconds. There is a ‘SpaceX’ option slated for it, too!

The Semi, which CEO Elon Musk announced in July, should enter volume production soon. The predicted base price is $150,000.

With these four new offerings, Tesla hopes to attract a different driver, such as everyday pickup owners, long-haul truckers, high-performance enthusiasts, and off-road, fun-seeking EV fans instead of primarily mainstream sedan buyers. Electrification of transportation is but one step in their quest. And if the new additions do all come to market, then the firm's line-up will spell out an even clearer message: "S-3-X-Y C-A-R-S."

See the full transcript of the Tesla shareholders meeting and the Battery Day presentation.