Initial supercharging results suggest that the new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery powered Tesla Model 3 can supercharge even faster than the version with the nickel battery. This looks promising, and is not unexpected. China-based website 42HOW conducted a side-by-side test of the new LFP battery Tesla Model 3 and … [continued]
Tesla Battery Day is less than a week away. In my view, most Tesla commentary continues to overlook what is already known when it comes to predictions for what will be revealed on Tesla Battery Day.
In the popular imagination, lithium is the element that powers EVs. However, as Elon Musk has pointed out, the term “lithium-ion batteries” is something of a misnomer, because they don’t really contain that much lithium. However, meeting the expected surge in demand for element #28 may not be so easy, because of various supply-side issues. In a recent interview with Kitco News, Michael Beck, Managing Director at Regent Advisors, said he sees something of a “perfect storm” brewing in the nickel trade.
Tesla’s second quarter earnings call just confirmed what may be the hottest technology topic for the electric vehicle revolution. Relatively inexpensive and abundant Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries are well suited to affordable mass market EVs, so long as they are energy efficient. This confirms that frequent concerns over battery mineral constraints (and fundamental cost barriers) for powering the EV transition can potentially be laid to rest.
Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) has released the results of its 2019 Battery Price Survey, finding that industry-weighted average battery pack prices have already fallen to $156 per kWh. This is over 13% lower than the 2018 average ($180/kWh, when adjusted for inflation), and BNEF foresees cost reductions continuing, with $100/kWh potentially being reached by 2023. Let’s dive in.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Monday, US President Donald Trump strove to undermine his own Administration’s Fourth National Climate Assessment, saying that he had “read some” of the report but that he doesn’t “believe it.”
The state of electric vehicle (EV) batteries can get confusing. Although internal combustion engine (ICE) aficionados talk about engine displacement and horsepower, EV drivers often consider energy storage as the most important part of their decision making. Today, there are more lithium battery chemistries than ever and figuring out which one is used where and what appears after the dust settles can be difficult. Here’s a brief look at what’s in store tomorrow from the major EV battery OEMs.
In the world of life, there are small challenges and there are major, critical, existential challenges. That’s the story for humans, for businesses, and for industries. Limited cobalt supply is being pitched more and more as an existential problem for the electric vehicle revolution (and for Tesla in particular), but it’s really just another cog in the machine that needs to get moving.
An analyst for Seeking Alpha says cars like the Jaguar I-PACE using NMC prismatic battery cells offer a better user experience while charging and may outperform the Tesla Supercharger network.
Originally published on EV Obsession. Sumitomo Metal Mining has revealed as part of its most recent 3-year business plan that it will be boosting production of NCA materials — lithium-nickel-cobalt-aluminum-oxide materials used in lithium-ion battery cathodes — in anticipation of supplying Tesla during Model 3 production. A similar move was … [continued]
