The 22nd of September may not be a very significant day in most of the population's calendars, but if you are a Tesla fan and or investor, you'd know that it is 'Battery Day'.
As you'd expect, Battery Day is quite a big deal for one of the world's biggest electric vehicle manufacturers, and Elon Musk announced a bunch of plans surrounding Tesla's battery tech.
Overhead shot of the Battery Day drive-in! 😍🔋🔋🔋 #batteryday pic.twitter.com/Hak99EoDgp
— Tesla Owners North Bay (@TeslaOwnersNBay) September 22, 2020
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During the event, Musk said a lot of things, but arguably the most important was a revelation around a new battery that has been promised for a few years now, and is set to change the EV game.
At its core, the idea for this new battery is to lower the cost per kilowatt-hour. Tesla already makes use of the cheapest battery in the market, but this new one is set to halve that cost again.
In the Model S and Model X, a battery with 18650 cells is used. The Model 3 and Model Y both make use of a battery with 2170 cells, but this bad boy delivers nearly twice the energy density, and has a 50% larger volume.
This new battery contains 4680 cells, and is said to be able to store five times more energy than the 2170 battery found in the Model 3 and Model Y. On top of this, the new battery will also cost significantly less to make.
All this means that Tesla's electric cars will be able to be sold cheaper, and possess larger ranges. But Musk wasn't finished there.
Currently, Tesla places batteries on the floor of its models, which works, but could be done better, according to the CEO. A new design was revealed that integrates the batteries into the vehicle's structural support, freeing up important luggage space, and adding rigidity.
With all these changes in place, Tesla believes that it will lead to a 54 per cent increase in range across its vehicles. Something that is extremely impressive given that Tesla already makes the longest-range EVs in the world.