Elon Musk Touts Capacity Increase Ahead Of ‘Battery Day’

Tom Jowitt,

Ahead of its widely touted ‘battery day’ event, Elon Musk hints at a 50 percent rise in battery capacity within three years

Tesla’s boss Elon Musk has suggested that a key battery capacity issue could be resolved within the next three to four years.

According to Reuters, Musk suggested Tesla may be able to mass produce longer-life batteries with 50 percent more energy density in three to four years.

If true, this will be a significant development as it remove one of the three major concerns for drivers about switching to electric vehicles (EVs).

Battery range has always been an concern for drivers, but so too has the high cost of electric vehicles, as well as the longevity of the batteries themselves.

Battery capacity

Musk made the comments when he was replying to another tweet.

“400 Wh/kg *with* high cycle life, produced in volume (not just a lab) is not far. Probably 3 to 4 years,” he tweeted on Monday.

This tweet was ahead of Tesla’s much anticipated “Battery Day” event where the car maker is expected to reveal how it has improved its battery performance.

Musk in July said that Tesla was open to licensing its bespoke technology to other makers of Evs.

The week before that, Musk had urged the mining community to produce more nickel, as demand for EVs continues to grow.

Battery day

Tesla had planned to announce a “million mile” battery at its much anticipated “Battery Day” event, which had originally been scheduled for April.

However the Coronavirus pandemic pushed it back until May, and then September this year.

Musk has previously told investors that the technology revealed at the battery day “will blow your mind”.

And in case people underestimate what Musk tweeted on Monday, remember that the Panasonic “2170” batteries used in Tesla’s Model 3 has a capacity around 260 Wh/kg.

Musk hinting that 400 Wh/kg is on the horizon therefore means a 50 percent jump from the current energy density – a critical element for drivers seeking a longer driving range of their EV.

Tesla said its Battery Day will take place on the same day as its 2020 annual meeting of shareholders on 22 September 2020.