Charging up: New batteries could help extend the range of cars produced by Tesla Motors, including the planned Model S, shown here.
Tesla Motors
A new partnership could help the automaker increase the range of its vehicles.
Tesla Motors, the maker of high-performance electric vehicles, is working with Panasonic, the battery and consumer electronics giant, to develop its next generation of batteries. The partnership is intended to help Tesla lower the cost of its batteries and improve the range of its vehicles.
Last month Panasonic announced two high-energy batteries for electric vehicles. These new batteries store as much as 30 percent more energy than its previous lithium-ion batteries, and this increased storage could, in theory, increase a vehicle's range by a similar amount, thereby addressing one of the main problems with electric cars. Tesla's Roadster currently has a range of 244 miles and takes three and a half hours to charge with a special charger.
The other major challenge with electric vehicles is the cost of the battery packs. Tesla isn't announcing the potential cost savings with future batteries, but JB Straubel, Tesla Motor's chief technology officer, says battery costs have been steadily declining at about 8 percent a year.
Tesla plans to incorporate Panasonic's cells into its battery packs, and will work with Panasonic to develop cells fine-tuned for use in cars, Straubel says. To do this, Tesla will draw on data gathered from the 1,000 cars it has made so far, which have been driven for over a million miles. Tesla currently gets its batteries from a variety of manufacturers.
Those driving Tesla cars won't immediately see the added range from the new high-energy battery cells, Straubel says, since there is a lengthy process for validating the performance of new cells. What's more, the actual range increases can vary. (For example, electronic controls keep a battery from completely discharging to help improve safety and reliability--complete discharges can harm some battery materials. The way the battery is controlled depends upon its chemistry and other details of the cell design.)
One of the new cells in particular will require extensive testing, since it relies on silicon-based electrodes. In theory, silicon electrodes can hold much more energy than the carbon electrodes they replace, but silicon electrodes tend to swell and break apart. They'll need to be tested to make sure these problems have been overcome.
Companies hope to turn aging trucks, vans, and taxis into more efficient hybrids.
Silicon-nanotube electrodes may enable lithium-ion batteries to store 10 times more charge.
Good point about the mass of the batteries.
For those who are interested, here's the information about energy density that Panasonic has provided.
Previous lithium nickel 18650 cells stored 10.4 Wh.
The new cells store 12.2 Wh (carbon anode) and 13.6 Wh (silicon anode).
The volumetric energy density is 620 Wh/L, 730 Wh/L and 800 Wh/L.
The mass of the batteries is 44 g, 46 g, and 54 g.
Are any rare earth elements used in the construction of the batteries? If so, will China, which has a monopoly of REEs, be the ultimate manufacturer?
a couple years ago they declared a limit on REEs that could be exported, the idea was to force intl community to manufacture stuff out of the REEs in china itself.
The end result is that monopolies don't work:
Now a full HALF of the REEs are smuggled out of china. THey can do this fairly easily by secretly melting them into steel then exporting this. It works because the mines tend to be small mines who work the seams of REEs.
There ARE REEs in plenty elsewhere but they tend to be mixed with radioactive elements, the seams in china are NOT, which makes them easier to work with, mine and separate. If they continue to enforce their monopoly then the intl community may have to mine other sources that are less desirable.
This article makes an excellent argument for the modular approach to building EV's.
I predict that very soon we will have virtual manufacturing of EV's. Modular components will be done by specialist companies with standardized parts. EV companies will concentrate on design and engineering. Most orders will be configured online with local manufacturing and assembly.
EV's will be totally custom with Tablet PC's for operator controls. Motorized wheel assemblies will be standard. All wiring will be modular and more like PC cables.
Modern fabrication techniques like 3D printing and ink jetting will be used to lower costs.
In short the UPS man could be doing a lot of business by bringing our kits for back yard assembly of our very own emotional mobiles.
Google pemmPOD and guidePOD
Manufacturing in the United States is in trouble. That's bad news not just for the country's economy but for the future of innovation.
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mahonj
46 Comments
Weight of new batteries
There are 2 new battery technologies here providing 20% and 30% increase in energy storage capacity over current Panasonic cells.
However, the 30% (Silicon cathode) batteries are about 25% heavier than the reference cells, so while the volumetric density is much better, the mass density is not improved by so much.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/12/panasonic-20091225.html
Nonetheless, Tesla's decision to use industry standard 18650 cells seems to be vindicated as Tesla can let other people develop the batteries and spend their own time validating them rather than designing the batteries.
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