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Tesla Cybertruck Orders Average 5,873 Per Day, Now Over 500,000

Tesla Cybertruck Orders Average 5,873 Per Day, Now Over 500,000 Forbes | Feb 19, 2020 at 12:00 AM The reservation rate is outpacing Tesla’s Model 3, which received 518,000 reservations in about five months.

Rumor: Tesla Close To Deal With CATL To Use Cobalt-Free Batteries For Chinese-Made Cars

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Published on February 18th, 2020 |

by Steve Hanley

Rumor: Tesla Close To Deal With CATL To Use Cobalt-Free Batteries For Chinese-Made Cars

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February 18th, 2020 by Steve Hanley

A report by Reuters, based on information supplied by unnamed sources, claims Tesla and Contemporary Amperex Technology Company (CATL)* are in the “advanced stages of talks” that may lead to Tesla using cobalt-free battery cells developed by the Chinese battery company. Cobalt is expensive — around $33,500 a ton — and much of it is sourced from operations that may exploit child labor. Tesla already chooses to not get cobalt from the most notorious sources, and Elon Musk has indicated he would like to drastically reduce the amount of cobalt used in Tesla batteries. In fact, the company uses far less of it today than it did a few years ago.

Those sources tell Reuters the two companies have been talking for more than a year and the talks could result in an agreement soon. Tesla and CATL both declined to comment on the story. In addition to avoiding the toxicity and environmental concerns associated with using cobalt, the latest lithium-iron-phosphate batteries from CATL are said to be cheaper than nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) or nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries by a “double digit percent,” according to the sources.

To boost the density and safety of its LFP batteries, CATL has been working on cell-to-pack technology, the sources told Reuters. They also indicated Tesla has no plans to stop using its NCA battery technology for its automobiles.

LFP batteries are typically less energy dense than NMC batteries, which means the company would have to use more of them to get the same range in its vehicles — unless there has been a big advancement in that territory. That also means they would take up more space (if range was kept the same). Where would Tesla find room in its cars for larger, heavier battery packs?

We know that Tesla is at the cutting edge in battery technology and knows far more than it is sharing publicly. Elon has indicated the company is constantly talking to everyone involved in battery research at a significant level anywhere in the world. Is this one of those cases that actually warrants a change in commercial products?

Lastly, is Maxwell Technologies, the battery and supercapitor startup Tesla bought last year, involved somehow? CleanTechnica contributors Chanan Bos and Max Holland will be along shortly to give you their take on this story. See: “Tesla Shanghai Model 3 May Go Cobalt-Free Using CATL’s LFP Cells — Diving Deeper.”

*Disclosure: CATL was a sponsor of our newest report, Electric Car Drivers: Demands, Desires & Dreams.

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Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his homes in Florida and Connecticut or anywhere else the Singularity may lead him. You can follow him on Twitter but not on any social media platforms run by evil overlords like Facebook.

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CATL-Built Tesla Model 3 Battery Pack Will Use Prismatic Cells

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Published on February 19th, 2020 |

by Chanan Bos

CATL-Built Tesla Model 3 Battery Pack Will Use Prismatic Cells

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February 19th, 2020 by Chanan Bos

The battery news keep getting crazier each day. Exactly one week ago, we learned that Tesla might be assembling a battery cell production line in Fremont, then a few days ago that they are buying some battery startups in Denver and even Elon seems to have visited. Then, yesterday, we learned that Tesla in China might use lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries from CATL* in the Model 3 SR+, and that it’s all made possible by putting cells straight into the battery pack without modules. What we learned in today’s revelation is that those LFP batteries will be prismatic, and the pack might be built — or is at least designed by — CATL utilizing its cell-in-pack technology, something that Tesla is also working on but has thus far not yet implemented.

Only with LFP batteries
To repeat: Tesla in China will have a Model 3 battery pack that uses prismatic batteries instead of cylindrical ones and also has no modules. When I heard this news, there was only one thing that felt at least somewhat certain, that this is only possible with LFP cells. Most EVs lose their battery capacity after a few years, but Tesla’s hardly lose any capacity. By having so many cylindrical cells working together, each is only taxed slightly during discharge. Also, the batteries have little volume and plenty of surface area for some really good cooling.

In this strange circumstance, Tesla can maintain its quality, reduce the price, and use LFP prismatic cells. While each cell is taxed more, LFP batteries last longer, so that makes up the difference. The main disadvantage LFP batteries have is lower energy density. However, with this rare cell-to-pack technology, we can make up the difference to create the 50 kWh pack that the Model 3 SR+ needs.

Getting a picture of what this will look like

Quickly drawn render of prismatic cells on a Model 3’s battery pack

My first research effort was to take a look at the Model 3 battery pack as well as its insides, and then try to calculate what kind of cells will be used as well as how many and in what way they will be placed. Here are the approximate external dimensions of the Model 3’s battery pack: 216.63 cm by 147.32 cm by ~10.5 cm (L x W x H). Inside are 4 modules, each 9 cm high, 29.2 cm wide, and 185.4 cm long for the longer modules.

Here is what we can be somewhat certain of: even without modules, the height of each prismatic cell cannot be more than 90mm, and it is somewhere in that range. Almost all EV prismatic batteries are approximately 48mm thick, in which case we would could fit something like 38 rows of batteries in there. As for how many columns there will be, that could be something like 5 or 6.

Conclusion
Today’s news will take some time to process. Calculations need to be made and long showers need to be taken before we get any big new revelations about this. If there is one important takeaway from today’s news, it seems to be that the collaboration between CATL and Tesla is more serious than previously thought. It really does appear that CATL did a lot of legwork to design this unique new pack for Tesla without significantly altering the Model 3’s battery pack dimensions.

Either Tesla is going out of its way to make the Chinese authorities happy, or this arrangement really benefits Tesla and CATL, enough to design a whole new battery pack and risk exposing CATL’s cell-to-pack technology to the competition. When it comes to using prismatic cells, there are two concerns: how well these cells can be cooled and what kind of acceleration we can expect with this battery pack. One question that we saw a lot of people ask is, does this technology have a future if energy density can be significantly increased with Maxwell’s dry electrode technology? Who knows?

Have you had any good shower thoughts about what this news could mean? Make sure to share in the comments below.

*Disclosure: CATL was a sponsor of our latest report, Electric Car Drivers: Demands, Desires & Dreams.

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About the Author

Chanan Bos Chanan grew up in a multicultural, multi-lingual environment that often gives him a unique perspective on a variety of topics. He is always in thought about big picture topics like AI, quantum physics, philosophy, Universal Basic Income, climate change, sci-fi concepts like the singularity, misinformation, and the list goes on. Currently, he is studying creative media & technology but already has diplomas in environmental sciences as well as business & management. His goal is to discourage linear thinking, bias, and confirmation bias whilst encouraging out-of-the-box thinking and helping people understand exponential progress. Chanan is very worried about his future and the future of humanity. That is why he has a tremendous admiration for Elon Musk and his companies, foremost because of their missions, philosophy, and intent to help humanity and its future. He sees Tesla as one of the few companies that can help us save ourselves from climate change.

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Tesla Will Use Prismatic LFP Cells From CATL, Says British Company

First, Tesla and CATL confirmed they had signed a supply deal. Then Reuters said that CATL would sell Tesla a cobalt-free solution: lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells. Now, Simon Moores, the managing director for Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, revealed that Tesla will buy prismatic LFP cells from CATL solely for cost reasons. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence presents… Continue reading Tesla Will Use Prismatic LFP Cells From CATL, Says British Company

Tesla China Funding May Be Subject of SEC Inquiry, Evercore Says

Tesla Inc.’s financing arrangements in China may be the subject of the Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry that the electric-car maker disclosed last week, according to analysts at Evercore ISI.

Tesla May Buy CATL’s Lithium Iron Phosphate Cobalt-Free Cells

Frequent readers of InsideEVs probably remember when CATL and Tesla signed a battery supply agreement. It was on February 3, and that led CATL to be one of the three battery suppliers Tesla currently has. Besides Panasonic, LG will also sell to the American EV manufacturer. Now Reuters reports that the companies are discussing the… Continue reading Tesla May Buy CATL’s Lithium Iron Phosphate Cobalt-Free Cells

Elon Musk just criticized the artificial intelligence company he helped found — and said his confidence in the safety of its AI is ‘not high’

Elon Musk criticized OpenAI, one of the world’s top AI research organizations, saying it lacks transparency and that his confidence in its technology’s safety is “not high.” OpenAI is racing to be the first to build a machine with the reasoning powers of a human mind. Musk himself is one of OpenAI’s founders — he… Continue reading Elon Musk just criticized the artificial intelligence company he helped found — and said his confidence in the safety of its AI is ‘not high’

Exclusive: Tesla in talks to use CATL’s cobalt-free batteries in China-made cars – sources

Beijing (Reuters) – Tesla (TSLA.O) is in advanced stages of talks to use batteries from CATL (300750.SZ) that contain no cobalt – one of the most expensive metals in electric vehicle (EV) batteries – in cars made at its China plant, people familiar with the matter said. FILE PHOTO: A China-made Tesla Model 3 vehicle… Continue reading Exclusive: Tesla in talks to use CATL’s cobalt-free batteries in China-made cars – sources

Tesla Employee Handbook Is Nothing Like Other Employee Handbooks

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Published on February 16th, 2020 |

by Steve Hanley

Tesla Employee Handbook Is Nothing Like Other Employee Handbooks

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February 16th, 2020 by Steve Hanley

Fifty years ago, Robert Townsend, the new head of Avis, wrote a book entitled Up the Organization: How to Stop the Corporation from Stifling People and Strangling Profits. It was a response to the highly organized, button-down, gray-flannel corporate culture epitomized by such corporate giants as IBM and Xerox. It was unorthodox, brash, and unsettling to many corporate types who believed the way to get ahead was to conform to the dictates of the boss at all times.

The book was divided into several chapters, each one dealing with a different facet of corporate culture. One in particular is memorable. Entitled “Meetings,” it offered this cogent advice: “Cancel all meetings.” End of chapter. Somewhere along the way, Elon Musk must have read this book (or simply came to the same conclusion on his own), because the company he heads has a guide for new employees with a similar title — The Anti-Handbook Handbook.

Photos of that document were leaked recently to Mark Matousek of Business Insider. It has been downloaded to Scribd as well. Matousek has kindly reprinted the entire 4 page document (that’s right — it is only 4 pages long) at the end of his article if you want to read it for yourself. He also highlighted some relevant portions, however, starting with the introduction. Tesla did not respond to his requests for comments about the story.

“We’re Tesla. We’re changing the world. We’re willing to rethink everything,” the handbook begins. “We’re different and we like it that way. Being different allows us to do what no one else is doing; to do what others tell us is impossible.

Your #1 job — everyone’s #1 job — is making this company a success. If you see opportunities to improve the way we do things, speak up even if these are outside your area of responsibility. You have a personal stake in Tesla’s success so make suggestions and share your ideas. Your good ideas mean nothing if you keep them to yourself.

Not your typical employee manual. Not at all. And the hits keep on coming. Inc. has a few more details:

Anyone at Tesla can and should email or talk to anyone else according to what they think is the fastest way to solve a problem for the benefit of the whole company. You can talk with your manager, you can to to your manager’s manager, you can talk directly to a VP in another department, you can talk to Elon.
“No one told me” is an excuse that will never fly here.
If you can’t be reliable, this isn’t the place for you.
“You’re tardy” is something kids are told in school. This isn’t school. Plan to be here on time ready to start work when you are scheduled. Traffic accidents happen. We get that. But not every Monday during football season.

Here’s one more for your consideration: “Our assumption will be that if you don’t call and don’t show up for work, you’re a jerk. You better have a really good reason for not letting us know why you didn’t come in or you’re out of here.”

What is missing from the Anti-Handbook Handbook is a bunch of “party of the first part,” “heretofore,” and “notwithstanding” language beloved by corporate attorneys everywhere. There is a link in the text to an internal webpage that has more specifics about such legal niceties.

The Coen brothers may have done the best send-up of a traditional company orientation in the movie The Hudsucker Proxy. Here is a clip you may find amusing:

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Drone footage: Tesla Giga Berlin forest-clearing is moving quickly (UPDATE: stopped by court)

Tesla started clearing the forest at their new Giga Berlin site just two days ago and now we have drone footage showing just how extensive the work already is. UPDATE: Just after this article was posted, we heard that a court has temporarily ordered Tesla to stop clearing the forest, pending review of a complaint by the… Continue reading Drone footage: Tesla Giga Berlin forest-clearing is moving quickly (UPDATE: stopped by court)