Tesla – Page 2364 – I wish I had more to offer

Elon Musk’s former right-hand man, JB Straubel, is building a company to chase the big money in recycling old EV batteries as demand for lithium skyrockets (TSLA)

JB Straubel stepped down as Tesla’s CTO in 2019. He’s now focused on Redwood Materials, where he has the CEO title for the first time. Redwood is a recycling startup that wants to create a “remanufacturing economy,” extracting the valuable raw materials from spent electric-car batteries so that lithium, cobalt, and other valuable minerals don’t… Continue reading Elon Musk’s former right-hand man, JB Straubel, is building a company to chase the big money in recycling old EV batteries as demand for lithium skyrockets (TSLA)

Tesla Giga Texas Will Make Cybertruck Batteries Too

9 Oct 2020, 14:36 UTC ·
by

Mircea Panait

Home > News > Industry

At the beginning of the year, Elon Musk confirmed that a new Gigafactory would be constructed in the U.S. to handle Cybertruck production. Instead of Tennessee, the Palo Alto-based automaker chose Texas thanks to better incentives, lower logistics cost, and better access to a large workforce.
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Fast-forward to the present day, and The Austin Business Journal reports about battery production in addition to the futuristic-looking Cybertruck. “Documents filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality” confirm that Tesla Giga Texas will operate a cell-manufacturing unit.
Professional services company GHD submitted the application for an air-quality permit on behalf of Tesla, and the document states “battery packs that are installed in the vehicle,” presumably the Cybertruck. Six nitrogen-blanketed tanks with a volume of 20,000 liters each are listed as necessary for cell production, but there’s something that the filing doesn’t specify.
Tesla had originally acquired 2,100 acres, followed by a 381-acre site for future expansion. We don’t know if the battery cell and Cybertruck plants will be connected or separate units, but at the end of the day, logistics aren’t of the essence given the negligible distance between the two sites.
Tesla is also expected to construct a lithium hydroxide chemical plant on acreage meant for Giga Texas, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the hearsay turns out to be true. Rumored to go online in Q4 2022, the only purpose of this plant is turning hard rock spodumene ore into lithium hydroxide. The hydrometallurgical process is understood to eliminate the use of sulfuric acid, a colorless liquid that can cause severe chemical burns to us humans.
As for the cells that will be made in Texas, the 4680 design revealed during Battery Day is the most obvious candidate for heavy-duty applications like the electric pickup and the Tesla Semi. 4680s have been deployed in working vehicles for months, and Gigafactory Berlin is also going to produce them locally for the Model Y. Another application for the high-nickel cells is the Model S Plaid with 1,100 horsepower on tap and a starting price of $140k.

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Tesla’s robot snake charger is not dead yet

Tesla’s concept for a robot snake charger for self-driving vehicles might still happen, says CEO Elon Musk. Back in 2015, Tesla released a video of an automated robot charger that looks like a metal snake. The idea behind the concept is that Tesla would need to have a way to autonomously charge vehicles without human… Continue reading Tesla’s robot snake charger is not dead yet

Tesla is doing a Model 3 refresh and we’ve seen it

Tesla is making an update to Model 3, which is significant enough that people other than Elon Musk would call it a refresh, and we’ve seen it. Electrek can confirm some of the new features. Over the last few months, we have heard a lot of rumors about a Model 3 update. It started when… Continue reading Tesla is doing a Model 3 refresh and we’ve seen it

Tesla (TSLA) gets new Wall Street high target as competition seems to be lagging

Tesla’s stock (TSLA) received a new Wall Street high target price from an analyst who doesn’t see EV competition stopping Tesla’s hyper growth. New Street Research “re-initiated” coverage on Tesla with a $578 per share target, a new high for Tesla on Wall Street, up from $400. Despite the already insane performance of Tesla’s stock… Continue reading Tesla (TSLA) gets new Wall Street high target as competition seems to be lagging

Nissan to offer partial driving automation standard on new cars

TOKYO — Nissan Motor will equip all future vehicles with basic automated driving functions, aiming to release more than 20 such models by fiscal 2023. The technology will enable Nissan’s more expensive models to be operated hands-free on the highway, while low- to midprice cars will be able to track vehicles in front of them.… Continue reading Nissan to offer partial driving automation standard on new cars

Business models in the field of autonomous driving

Which business models in the field of autonomous driving are conceivable? The technology of autonomous driving is not yet ready to hit the road. It will take years to reach level 4 and Level 5That fully self-driving car that works anytime, anywhere is still more at present Science fiction as reality. Taxi stand But the… Continue reading Business models in the field of autonomous driving

German Handelsblatt: Autoindustrie: “The development is at the expense of the combustion engine”: BMW separates faster from diesel and gasoline000503

Export of BMW vehicles Demand is picking up. (Photo: obs) Munich The BMW Group expects a faster change to electromobility. In the third quarter, the group sold almost 50 percent more electric and hybrid vehicles compared to the previous year. “The thrust is clear,” said CFO Nicolas Peter on Thursday in Munich. “The development is… Continue reading German Handelsblatt: Autoindustrie: “The development is at the expense of the combustion engine”: BMW separates faster from diesel and gasoline000503

Leaked Tesla Email: Elon Musk Hopes 2020 Production Will Exceed 500,000 EVs

8 Oct 2020, 11:54 UTC ·
by Mircea Panait

Home > News > Industry

As with any public company, Tesla is under pressure from stockholders to perform. Not on the track, not in terms of customer satisfaction, but Elon Musk’s automaker has to sell as many cars as possible to keep the investors happy.
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The worldwide health crisis had posed and still poses a problem to many, but Tesla appears to be weathering the storm better than the competition. For example, a new record has been set in the third quarter of 2020 with almost 145,000 vehicles produced, most of them consisting of the Model 3 and Model Y.
Q2 production numbers more than 82,000 vehicles while the first quarter of the year accounted for a little more than 102k. Add up the numbers, and you’ll understand why Elon Musk is wishful thinking in the following statement.
“It will be tough but super exciting if we can exceed 500,000 cars made in a single year for the first time in Tesla history,” said the big kahuna in a leaked email to employees. “It all comes down to Q4. Please take whatever steps you can think of to improve output (while increasing quality),” concluded Musk.
Electrek’s take on this ambitious but improbable target is pretty obvious. Instead of increasing production by 20 percent, the cited publication wishes for Tesla to focus on “quality before volume.” Unfortunately for us, QA and QC are not as important as output for the previously mentioned investors.
It would be cheeky to expect Mercedes-Benz levels of quality from the Palo Alto-based automaker, no doubt about that. But then again, losing the glass roof of a Model Y on the highway in less than two hours of ownership doesn’t sit well with anyone willing to pony up more than $50k for the electric crossover.
TSLA was trading at $420 before the email leaked onto the Internet. After spiking to $429 per share in a matter of hours, the stock is currently sitting at $425.

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Giga Berlin Will Make Tesla Model Y With 4680 Cells, Structural Battery Pack

8 Oct 2020, 14:33 UTC ·
by Mircea Panait

Home > News > Industry

The “most advanced Gigafactory” to date, that’s how Tesla describes Giga Berlin. We already knew that the Model Y will be produced there for the European continent, but Elon Musk has also confirmed that the electric crossover will use 4680 cells and the structural battery pack.
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Berlin will also roll out “front and rear single-piece castings” and “a new paint system.” According to Elon Musk, these changes present “a significant production risk” that has to be assumed because Fremont and Shanghai will transition to the same technologies in two years’ time or so.
The head honcho of Tesla described the German-made Model Y as “a core structural design change,” and it’s easy to understand why. The tab-less cells and structural battery have to be linked to single-piece underbody castings while providing the same or better torsional rigidity than the Model Y manufactured today at the Fremont assembly plant in California.
Although unconfirmed, it’s easy to imagine the Model 3 getting the same upgrades in the future. You also have to take into consideration what these changes mean in terms of servicing. In the case of an accident, Musk said that “crash absorption rails can be cut off and replaced with a bolted part.”

In addition to better range, lower production costs, and easier manufacturing, the Model Y from Giga Berlin shouldn’t pose the same ramp-up problems Tesla had with the Model 3 in Fremont a few years ago. It’s obvious that Elon Musk is going all in, knowing that the competition won’t catch up to these advancements quickly enough to present a threat to the EV automaker.
4680 cells may also be the secret to the revival of the Model Y Standard Range that was canceled in July 2020 over range concerns. With the 2170 cells utilized right now, the electric crossover in this specification would be rated by the EPA at less than 250 miles (402 kilometers) according to Musk.
At the present moment, the Model Y is listed in Germany in two flavors. The Long Range AWD can be ordered from 58,620 euros while the Performance is 65,620 euros, translating to $68,830 and $77,050 at current exchange rates.
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