In the modern age of electric vehicles (EVs), battery capacity is everything. Battery capacity technology has been making leaps and bounds every year, although this year is set to be a particularly impressive milestone.
On Tuesday, Elon Musk shared that Tesla would likely be able to make batteries with 50% more energy density in just three to four years, as reported by Yahoo Finance. Musk tweeted the news just under a month before the EV giant’s highly-anticipated “Battery Day,” on September 22.
400 Wh/kg *with* high cycle life, produced in volume (not just a lab) is not far. Probably 3 to 4 years.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 24, 2020
Also scheduled the same day is Tesla’s 2020 shareholders meeting. After Tesla’s quick jump out of the Q3 gate, they have a lot of momentum approaching this event, and they’ll almost certainly have some exciting new details to share.
The EV giant also shared an image on its website of what appears to be silicon nanowire anode technology, according to South Korean battery expert Park Chul-wan. The technology would be revolutionary for the EV industry, and would sharply increase both battery density and life.
Tesla also has plans to introduce a new, lower-cost, longer-life battery in the Model 3 this or next year, and is working with China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology LTD (CATL) to do so.
Whatever Tesla’s upcoming Battery Day holds for us, hopefully, it includes improved batteries and a continued future of innovation in the EV industry.
