Tesla promises to halve the cost of batteries

Tesla boss Elon Musk on September 22, 2020 -

It may not be the revolution some people are hoping for, but it could help democratize electric vehicles.

Tesla announced Tuesday a series of technical improvements supposed to allow it to halve its cost of production and offer an electric vehicle at $ 25,000 within three years.

“How many years can we accelerate the adoption of sustainable energy?

This is the real measure of success ”, insisted Elon Musk, insisting: in the face of climate change,“ we must act ”.

With this in mind, the entrepreneur said he was "confident" in the group's ability to quickly offer an electric car at $ 25,000, a reduction of at least $ 10,000 compared to the base Model 3 that it is currently offering to the sale.

Achieving this requires reducing the cost of batteries.

Tesla Battery Day starts now!

- Tesla (@Tesla) September 22, 2020

Cybertruck, ATV, Roadster & Semi

C ARS pic.twitter.com/4Aq1A5cYkH

- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 23, 2020

Medium-term home batteries

To do this, Tesla, in a fairly technical presentation, exposed several advances at various stages of battery design: on the design of cells, on the production line, on the use of silicone, on the manufacturing of the cathode and the metals used, and on the integration into the car itself.

All this should ultimately make it possible to reduce the production cost of a kilowatt hour by 56%.

Elon Musk "has not revolutionized the nature of the battery or the way it works," remarks Karl Brauer, analyst for the specialized site iSeeCars.

“But a more efficient way to produce the battery and to generate and conserve the energy inside the battery.

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Improvements but no drastic changes

The group presented "a multitude of small advances on the design of the battery or the car around the battery, allowing it to reduce its cost significantly, to increase the production speed and the distance it can cover", he emphasizes to AFP.

The two most interesting things to him are the increased use of silicone, a readily available material, and the use of the battery as a structural part of the car.

Elon Musk has always had in mind to convince drivers to adopt electric vehicles en masse.

“We don't have really inexpensive cars yet, but we will,” he said on Tuesday.

It remains to be seen whether the amount of $ 25,000 will be enough to convince as many people as they want.

Tesla is keen to play the leading roles in batteries, the key element for the future of electric vehicles, in order to increase its lead over other car manufacturers, which still derive the majority of their revenues from vehicles with thermal engines (diesel or gasoline).

Musk, however, calmed the enthusiasm of the most enthusiastic Monday night by stressing that the innovations presented would not reach "real mass production before 2022".

A medium-term horizon that disappointed investors: on the New York Stock Exchange, the action fell by 7% in electronic exchanges after the event.

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