Now, Tesla batteries to last a million miles?
What's the story
As EV makers strive to boost the range of their vehicles, Tesla appears to be going for the bigger deal by upgrading the lifecycle of its battery packs. A report from the Wired has indicated that the Elon Musk-owned company may have got the formula to introduce batteries that may last one million miles before degrading. Here's all you need to know about them.
Battery
Musk's claim turning into reality
Back in April, Musk had made the ambitious claim of bringing battery packs that would power Tesla cars for more than one million miles throughout their lifespan. The promise initially sounded like another one of Musk's hyperboles, but just recently, the battery researchers at Dalhousie University, which has an exclusive agreement with Tesla, detailed the chemistry for such a battery, suggesting otherwise.
Do you know?
Battery pack lasting over one million miles
Notably, one million miles is the double of current battery lifecycle of Tesla cars. The long service life of the battery, they said, could come particularly handy for a fleet of autonomous car and long-haul trucks, like Tesla Semi.
Lifecycle
How the longer lifespan would be achieved
The chemistry detailed in the paper suggests the Lithium-ion battery uses similar ingredients but with larger crystals for making up its nanostructured cathode. These materials do not crack as often as smaller crystals while charging and ensure that the performance remains high over the course of long usage. Meaning, it would bring the ability to store more energy and maintain a longer lifecycle.
Availability
No word on when we might see this battery
The paper notes that the upgraded battery loses just 10% of its energy capacity after as many as 4,000 charge-and-discharge sessions. This is way better than the 2014 test that showed Lithium-ion battery lost 50% energy capacity after 1,000 charge-discharge sessions. But, you should note there's no word on when or if Tesla would go ahead and bring this battery into its vehicles.