Elon Musk’s Battery Day was anything but boring and plain. The public was presented with dozens of interesting announcements, which we will cover in-depth in this article.
Musk held the event outside, following best practices in regards to social distancing. This is appropriate considering the current crisis.
Musk and other presenters greeted Tesla’s shareholders in a parking lot, who honked back from their cars in support. Without further ado, we present you with the most important points from Elon Musk’s Battery Day.
Model S Will Be Available in 2021
Model S Plaid powertrain has been a hot topic for a while, and it’s no wonder! It was described as a step beyond the Ludacris model. Now, Musk has finally announced that it is going to be available in 2021. And, guess what? The specs are as impressive as expected.
The new Model S Plaid is expected to have a range of over 520 miles, 0-60 mph time in just under two seconds, and a quarter-mile time faster than nine seconds. The top speed this vehicle will be able to reach is 200 miles per hour. Users will be able to configure their own Model S Plaid vehicles and order them directly from Tesla’s website.
When it comes to price, Musk has previously announced that this particular model would cost more than offerings. Currently, the Model S Plaid is listed for $139,990. While that is expensive, don’t worry - we have some good news for you. Tesla has discussed their cheapest cars yet, which we will cover in-depth further in this article.
Will There Be Cheaper Electric Car Models?
While many were impressed by Musk’s Tesla Model 3 car which cost $35,000 - many were confused when it was taken down from the website too. But, regardless, you can’t fight the fact that it was cheaper than most other models. Thanks to reduced manufacturing and battery costs, Musk has noted that they are now considering making $25,000 cars.
Musk plans to achieve this goal by implementing new tabless batteries. Moreover, they plan to change the materials inside the cells, which will result in halving their price per kilowatt-hour. The car will also likely have full self-driving capability. Unfortunately, this won’t happen anytime soon. Or, at least not this year.
But back in 2018, Musk had promised $25,000 EV Teslas, claiming that they would be ready in three years. So, is 2021 the year? We’ll have to wait and see. Maybe this uncertainty is the reason why Wall Street has reacted negatively to Battery Day. In fact, Tesla’s stock value has dropped by $50 billion since the event, and the decline is still in motion. Luckily, cheaper cars will result in cheaper rideshare options, which we have talked about in our previous rideshare blog.
When Is the New Cathode Plant Arriving?
Tesla is currently planning to build another cathode plant because they’d like to reduce supply chain costs as much as possible. While the location is not officially known as of yet, Musk has said that it is going to be based in North America. Back in July, when Tesla talked about their newest factory in Texas, they mentioned that Tulsa, Oklahoma is a strong contender for future projects.
Musk also plans to remove cobalt from Tesla’s cathodes. While current Tesla batteries contain cobalt in small amounts, Musk has pledged to reduce the use even further. It might be because cobalt is associated with child-labor, which is why the world is trying to find other material substitutes.
However, the exact time of this transition is still unknown. The only thing we do know is that eliminating cobalt will result in cheaper batteries, for both the company and its consumers.
Tesla’s Tabless Batteries
Instead of sourcing its batteries from Panasonic, Tesla plans to manufacture its own tabless batteries, which we have briefly mentioned before. These batteries will increase Tesla vehicles’ range and overall power. Because these tabless batteries will be manufactured in-house, costs will drop significantly. Consequently, Tesla’s vehicles will become more affordable in the future.
These cells boast to be tabless because Tesla has removed the tab that connects the powering system to the cell. This will increase the batteries’ power by six times, and it will improve its range by 16%. The tin cell has a cylindrical design and it uses lithium-ion chemistry.
600,000 Cybertruck Preorders
Tesla Cybertruck is another thing that has certainly drawn attention. Many were thrilled to hear any news and developments with regards to this vehicle, and now we have it. Musk has announced that there are currently 600,000 orders, making this a very popular truck. However, these are just pre-orders.
Pre-orders require customers to pay a $100 deposit, as a pledge that they would buy that truck. But, this doesn’t mean that the orders are fully confirmed - you never know who could give up on their purchase until the shipments are officially dispatched. Plus, these deposits are refundable.
Are Self-Driving Cars Fully Self-Driving?
Tesla is working hard on improving their cars’ Autopilot technology. Full-Self Driving Beta test will become available in the near future, which will display the company’s new technology. However, none of Tesla’s vehicles are actually entirely self-driving.
Reportedly, they had to rewrite the whole Autopilot software stack. They are currently employing 3D video, compared to previous issues that only labeled single 2D images. This sounds impressive, but we’re yet to see it in action.
While many expected a lot more from Battery Day, the public still received a lot of exciting news and updates. Eliminating cobalt, creating the cheapest Tesla vehicles yet, and improving Autopilot technology seems thrilling. We’re excited to hear the updates. Make sure to read up on our rideshare website, where we share the latest car-related news and developments.
