Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Tesla S Travels Farther

US Person has posted before {13.05.21} about next generation batteries that offer a quantum leap in performance and efficiency. That exciting development has been demonstrated with a prototype Model S that traveled a whopping 752 miles on a single charge using a new type of lithium phosphate battery design developed by start-up company ONE (Our Next Energy). The range is equivalent to or more than that achieved by a gasoline engine on a single fill-up; the breakthough relieves one of the primary concerns consumers have about adopting electric vehicles. It still takes longer to recharge a vehicle battery compared to a fill-up at your local gas station, and their are significant limitation on how many times a battery can be recharged before degrading. ONE's technology was debued at a Las Vegas tech conference earlier this month.

Lithium batteries face limitations on their energy density. Gasoline has a high energy density of about 46 MJ/kg. Lithium vehicle batteries used by Tesla have a density of 260W/kg. One hundred joules of energy is equivalent to 1667 Watts. A quick calculation shows that gasoline is has more energy in it per kg than lithium ion batteries. Battery performance has been improved with technological tweaks such as improved anodes and digital processors, but engineers have been searching for a more fundamental redesign of batteries using advanced chemistry. These advances are still in laboratory stage, but ONE's demonstration of new battery technology is encouraging. Mercedes has promised a range in its EQXX prototype electric vehicle of 965km. Here is a video of ONE's sweet demonstration ride: