• Controversy: Tesla defies the authorities and wants to open his factory in the US
  • User Lexus UX 300e: 10 years or 1 million km warranty on your battery

Tesla seems to be close to solving one of the biggest problems with electric vehicles: the high cost of batteries. According to Reuters, the California-based automaker will unveil long-lasting, cobalt-free batteries in late May that would significantly reduce the price of its electric cars. It would put them on the same level as the gasoline models or even below.

The plan of the company led by Elon Musk is to test the upgraded batteries in the Model 3s that leave the Shanghai plant. Eventually, the advance would be incorporated into other models of the brand in its other factories. This after announcing that they are ready to launch a long range version of the Model 3 in the Asian market. Its autonomy would go from 367 miles (587 kilometers) to 404 miles (646 km).

The new batteries, the result of joint work with the Chinese company Contemporary Amperex Technology, would have a life of one million miles (1.6 million km), more than double that of current batteries. They would also reduce the environmental impact considerably by eliminating cobalt, one of the most expensive and polluting elements in electric cars today. Musk plans to present them on Battery Day that his company celebrates.

Double digit reduction in price

Tesla would eventually connect with a much broader spectrum of consumers. Currently, its cheapest vehicle, the Model 3, is offered for $ 39,990 in its most basic version in the United States. Sources cited by Reuters speak of a "double digit" percentage reduction in the price of the battery. The energy density and the energy storage capacity would be higher.

The goal, in addition to a battery far superior to the previous ones available on the market, is to produce them much faster and in large volumes, thus reducing labor costs. The plan is to resort to "terafactories" - as they have christened it - 30 times bigger than the one Tesla has in Nevada.

Musk's other ambition would also be closer with the implementation of the new batteries. It is none other than achieving the status of an electric company to compete with names like Pacific Gas & Electric or Tokyo Electric Power. It would be allowed by a fleet of over a million cars capable of connecting and sharing power with an electrical grid. And even more so if the project of installing sunroofs in your vehicles works to help recharge the battery organically. They are already working on the Cybertruck, their electric pick up.

In accordance with the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Tesla Motors
  • Engine
  • Motor industry
  • Electric cars

MotorTesla, BMW and Renault, the most electric and 'plug in' brands sold in Europe

MotorTesla makes a profit for the first time in its history in its first quarter

MotorMusk drops Tesla shares after saying they were 'too high'