Structural batteries: what the new Tesla will look like

Structural batteries

The future of electric mobility still depends a lot on the technological advancement that will be achieved in this area; without any doubt, Tesla is among the companies that has made it possible to speed up this process, showing the world the viability of electric cars, if designed ad hoc and optimized in terms of energy consumption. With the arrival on the market of the new Tesla Model Y with structural batteries, Tesla will take another step forward in terms of efficiency and architecture.

First, the new Tesla will be powered by the famous 4680 cell batteries: at a year and a half from the official presentation, the new batteries are finally about to see the light of the market, after the machinery necessary for the production of these cells have been sighted both at the Gigafactory in Austin and in Berlin. When Tesla finally manages to put together the design of the new Tesla Model Y with structural battery and the new 4680 cells, we will finally be able to admire - and hopefully test - the technological advancements that Elon Musk and associates have worked so hard on in recent years. >
The approach to battery installation on the new Tesla Model Y has completely changed, moving to a "cell to pack" architecture: in this case the cells are positioned without any intermediate modules, in a nested arrangement. 'ape, in order to increase the number of cells that can be installed with the same volume available. This type of battery, in addition to offering greater autonomy, is designed to better absorb shocks and more safely manage any gas leaks, thanks to dedicated grids that open when needed.

if (jQuery ("# ​​crm_srl-th_motorlabs_d_mh2_1"). is (": visible")) {console.log ("Edinet ADV adding zone: tag crm_srl-th_motorlabs_d_mh2_1 slot id: th_motorlabs_d_mh2"); } The optimization of the space that the 4680 cells will bring with them also has very obvious practical implications: the car floor will be even more free from obstacles, so much so that the seats can be bolted directly to the battery, thus reducing the amount of components used and consequently the cost and time of assembly.

The Teslas of the future are almost ready, and we are really curious to find out if the promised breakthroughs will be truly revolutionary as hoped.

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Carmakers face growing electric vehicle battery cells shortage, warns UBS

A deficit is expected though to the end of the decade but the resulting cost inflation is 'manageable' for carmakers, who will raise their prices

Adding to problems with computer chip shortages, car manufacturers are expected to face a growing shortage of electric vehicle (EV) battery cells in 2022, according to UBS.

Battery cell shortages, raw materials inflation and iron-versus-nickel-cobalt choices are seen as the 'pivotal' 2022 industry debates, the investment bank said in a note entitled 'year of the battery' ahead of the Chinese new year next week to reflect the ever growing influence of that country's EV penetration and production.

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Global EV demand is forecast to rise 59% to 10.4mn vehicles, with global penetration of 11.7%, UBS said, which is driven by shifting consumer attitudes, new model launches, and a pulling forward of demand prior to subsidy cuts

This increase in demand 'further stresses cell supply', reducing China's spare capacity and pushing the market outside of China market into a wider deficit through to the end of the decade, analyst Tim Bush said.

The analyst said he believes cost inflation related to battery cells is 'manageable' for car makers, who can simply raise their prices 4% for mass market standard range vehicles.

It is also expected to lead to an acceleration in car manufacturers scrambling to secure cell supply.

'2021 was a year of JVs in North America with Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), Stellantis NV (NYSE:STLA, EPA:STLA) and General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) all entering new relationships or upsizing existing ones with Korean battery makers.

'In 2022 we expect European OEMs to follow US peers in securing cell supply via JVs with incumbents.'

Iron ore versus nickel-cobalt choices

Bush predicted that demand for iron ore in batteries will fade, amid limited adoption outside of China and the introduction of next-generation nickel cells and structural battery packs.

However, he estimates iron battery systems have a 19% cost advantage over mainstream eight series nickel systems, mainly due to the absence of costly nickel/cobalt in iron cells.

But with iron cells lacking a clear path to raising energy density and the introduction of higher energy density next gen nickel cells, 'iron should lose cell level cost advantage'.

Additionally, as carmakers move to structural battery packs, cost 'will level' across chemistries, Bush predicted, forecasting next-generation nickel structural battery systems will have an 60% energy density advantage over iron.