Tesla Battery Day: The Biggest Announcements

At Tesla’s Battery Day event, CEO Elon Musk made some big announcements: the company is moving toward eliminating cobalt in its batteries, a new Plaid powertrain for the Model S that can reach 200 mph, and a new cathode plant to streamline its battery production. Thanks to the new battery technology, Musk said Tesla would win a $ 25,000 car.

The outdoor event away from socializing had Mask and other presenters address Tesla shareholders in parked cars, who set their horns to indicate their approval of the speakers’ notes – almost like a shareholder / movie meeting.

Here are the key points from Tesla Battery Day 2020:

Tesla plans to manufacture its own “Tabless” batteries, which will improve the range and power of its cars. The new batteries will be produced internally, which Musk says will cut costs and bring Tesla EVs closer to gasoline-powered cars. It is expected to lower Tesla’s cost per kilowatt-hour, which is a key metric used to measure electric vehicle battery packs. Tabless cells (Tesla removes the tab that connects the cell and what it occupies), which Tesla calls 4860 cells, will make its batteries six times stronger and increase the range by 16 percent.

Tesla is currently getting its batteries from Panasonic, and will likely continue to do so for some time, but moving battery production at home has been on Musk’s to-do list for quite some time; In 2018, a shortage of these cells delayed production. Musk said Panasonic’s pace of battery production slowed production of both the Model 3 and Model Y.

Musk has been flirting with the Plaid powertrain for a while, which would be a step above the Ludicrous model. It will have a range of 520 mph charges, get 0-60 mph in under two seconds, and a top speed of 200 mph. The price is listed on Tesla’s website at $ 139,990. Musk has noted in the past that the standard Plaid trim will “cost more than our current offering,” which he does. It will be available on the Model S in late 2021.

Musk said Tesla will build a new cathode plant for its batteries in North America, as part of its drive to lower supply chain costs and streamline cathode production. It is also making improvements to its process that will make cathodes 76 percent cheaper and produce zero wastewater. The company also plans to diversify the cathodes it uses, due to the reduced supply of nickel.

We don’t know where the new cathode plant will be built, but Musk said in July when Tesla announced that its next plant would be in Austin, Texas, that he would “think hard” in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which ranked second, for future projects.

Tesla plans to phase out the use of cobalt in its cathodes. Musk said he wanted to get rid of it completely in the past – even though current Tesla batteries use very little. Cobalt is often mined under conditions that violate human rights, leading to a push to find other substances to replace it.

Musk hasn’t provided a timeline when the company will stop using cobalt, but it has said it will make its batteries much cheaper.

“It is very important that we build cars that people can afford,” he said. “Affordability is the key to how we expand our reach.”

Tesla plans to reduce the cost of battery cells and packages, with the ultimate goal of building a $ 25,000 electric vehicle. Musk said Tesla would achieve this goal by using new “no-tab” battery cells, and changing materials inside the cell, which he said would allow Tesla to “cut” the kilowatt-hour price in half.

This isn’t the first time Musk has predicted that Tesla will drastically cut the costs of its electric cars. He first promised $ 25,000 in 2018, which he said was possible within three years.