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4680 cell design, chassis integration & factory discussion for investors
- Thread starter Buckminster
- Start date
This one put a HUGE grin on my face.
BMW to reportedly adopt Tesla's 4680 battery format
BMW is reportedly going to adopt Tesla’s 4680 battery format with supply from EVE, a battery supplier that is also...electrek.co
BMW had some fires IIRC recently due to pouch battery design.
Can't beat em, join em, right?
Looks are one thing. I'd like to know fail rate, production rate, and expected ramp up time line.
Tesla poaches battery expert to fix its dry electrode issue
New Director of Dry Electrode Development.
New Director of Dry Electrode Development.
Drew mentioned something about wet and dry processes in the cathode plant at the earnings call.
More important IMO is that all cathodes from Austin will come from the cathode plant..
But the do probably have DBE for the cathode working now.
00:00:00 - 01:00:00
In this section of the video, JB Straubel discusses the importance of building a better battery supply chain, emphasizing the need for sustainability and environmental responsibility. He highlights the efforts of Redwood Materials, a company he co-founded, in recycling and repurposing lithium-ion batteries to reduce waste and lower the environmental impact of battery production. Straubel emphasizes the importance of creating a closed-loop system, where materials are reused and recycled to build new batteries, ultimately creating a more sustainable and efficient battery supply chain.- 00:00:00 In this section of the video, JB Straubel discusses the importance of building a better battery supply chain, emphasizing the need for sustainability and environmental responsibility. He highlights the efforts of Redwood Materials, a company he co-founded, in recycling and repurposing lithium-ion batteries to reduce waste and lower the environmental impact of battery production. Straubel emphasizes the importance of creating a closed-loop system, where materials are reused and recycled to build new batteries, ultimately creating a more sustainable and efficient battery supply chain.
- 00:05:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses the importance of building a better battery supply chain. He highlights that improving the supply chain is crucial for scaling electric vehicle production and ensuring the availability of raw materials. He also emphasizes the need for battery recycling and sustainable sourcing to reduce the environmental impact of battery production. Straubel shares his insights on how his new company, Redwood Materials, aims to address these challenges by creating a closed-loop supply chain for batteries, focusing on recycling and reusing materials to minimize waste and maximize sustainability.
- 00:10:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses the importance of building a better battery supply chain. He highlights the need for a sustainable approach, from the extraction of raw materials to the end-of-life recycling of batteries. Straubel emphasizes the importance of reducing the environmental impact of battery production and creating a closed-loop system that maximizes resource efficiency. He also mentions Redwood Materials, a company he co-founded, which focuses on creating a circular economy for batteries by developing technologies for recycling and reusing materials. Straubel's goal is to transform the battery industry and create a more sustainable future for electric vehicles and energy storage.
- 00:15:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses the importance of addressing climate change and the opportunities it presents for creating a sustainable and prosperous future. He emphasizes that climate change is not a political issue, but a scientific fact that requires intelligent solutions. Straubel expresses his hope in the human spirit and believes that people are inherently good and want to do the right thing. He highlights that addressing climate change is not just about the environment, but also about energy, the economy, and how we live our lives. This conversation sets the stage for further discussions on building a more sustainable battery supply chain and reducing emissions from transportation.
- 00:20:00 In this section, the host introduces the conversation with JB Straubel, the founder and CEO of Redwood Materials and co-founder of Tesla. They discuss JB's early interest in electric cars and his passion for technology and engineering. JB also talks about the urgency of addressing climate change and the challenges of transitioning industrial systems. The host then mentions Tesla's use of laptop batteries in their first production model, the Roadster, which many people thought was crazy at the time. JB reflects on the decision and acknowledges that while some may have doubted it, it turned out to be a successful move.
- 00:25:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses how Tesla was initially mocked and dismissed by the auto industry, but gradually gained recognition and shifted the narrative. Despite skepticism, Tesla's Roadster and Model S proved to be successful and exceeded expectations. However, there were always doubts about Tesla's ability to scale and become more than just a niche player. Straubel reflects on the challenges of scaling manufacturing and the underappreciated difficulty of achieving profitability. He also mentions that it took longer than expected for other automakers to respond and change their approach. It wasn't until recently, due to customer and economic pressure, that many OEMs started shifting their mindset. The success and staying power of Tesla's vehicles, such as the Model Y, have played a crucial role in driving this change.
- 00:30:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses the challenges faced by Tesla in achieving speed, scale, and sustainability in the automotive industry. While Tesla has made mistakes along the way, their early start and ability to scale have been instrumental in making an impact on global climate change. Straubel also addresses his decision to step down from his position in 2019, citing his love for Tesla and the challenging nature of the work. He explains that he wanted to focus on what he enjoyed and what he was good at, which led him to explore adjacent fields that would support electrification and sustainability. Moreover, he provides a brief explanation of batteries and Redwood Materials' role in the supply chain.
- 00:35:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses the challenges of recycling lithium-ion batteries and the need for a better battery supply chain. He highlights the fact that most lithium-ion batteries end up in landfill because people don't know where to take them. Redwood Materials, a battery component manufacturer, aims to change this by creating a system for recycling and remanufacturing batteries. However, the recycling process is complicated due to the variety of materials and changing battery chemistries. Straubel emphasizes the need for flexibility in adapting recycling methods to different technologies. Redwood Materials has made progress in recovering metals from used batteries, achieving a recycling rate of over 95%. The challenges range from dismantling and transporting batteries to the actual separation of materials. Overall, the goal is to create a future where battery recycling becomes the norm, reducing waste and ensuring a sustainable battery supply chain.
- 00:40:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses the complexity of recycling electric vehicle (EV) batteries and the challenges of creating a circular economy for critical metals such as lithium, nickel, copper, and cobalt. He acknowledges that the process of recycling batteries is more complex than simply melting them down, requiring the development of ways to neutralize the batteries, separate the electrolyte, and purify and separate the different metals. Straubel explains that the current process of recycling EV batteries is still in its early stages, with various pathways through dismantlers, service centers, and consumers. However, he recognizes that there is a need to scale up recycling efforts and develop efficient packaging for transportation. He also emphasizes the importance of responsible mining and planning for the future to minimize the social and environmental impacts of the battery supply chain. Straubel envisions a future where everything is electrified but stresses the importance of transitioning to a circular economy to avoid waste and destruction.
- 00:45:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses the production of battery components for electric cars at Redwood Materials' manufacturing facilities in South Carolina and Northern Nevada. He states that they aim to use between 30 and 50 percent recycled material in the battery components they produce. While regulations in Europe may require a certain percentage of recycled content in batteries, it is uncertain if this information will be visible to consumers. Straubel acknowledges the complexities of tracing the supply chain and understanding the origin of materials, especially with the added challenge of recycling. He also acknowledges that China has a head start in battery recycling capacity due to years of strategic investment and lower labor costs. However, Straubel believes that the US has an advantage as consumers, and by linking recycling with material manufacturing locally, they can make the process more economic and scalable. Additionally, he highlights the geologic distribution of minerals and the strategic investment in refining and converting them as factors contributing to the complex and lengthy global supply chain for battery materials.
- 00:50:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses the centralization of refining and manufacturing in the battery supply chain and the impact it has on the energy payback of electric vehicles (EVs). He acknowledges that while it would be great to do more mining in the United States responsibly, it is difficult due to limited deposits and complex and expensive processes. Straubel also highlights the long and challenging process of developing new battery chemistries and the importance of scale in the current battery market. He emphasizes the need for broader adoption of EVs rather than focusing solely on incremental improvements in battery technology. Additionally, he emphasizes the significance of lithium-ion batteries in energy storage applications, stating that they are currently the scalable and economically viable solution for grid storage, home-scale storage, and electric vehicles.
- 00:55:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses the concerns regarding the bottleneck in the battery supply chain and the potential impact on the transition to electric vehicles. He acknowledges that supply constraints can slow down the transition, as seen in the solar industry, but he is not worried about overinvestment in the current lithium-ion technology. He believes that even if newer and cheaper battery chemistries enter the market, they would only be relevant several product generations down the line. Straubel expresses his frustration with the slow pace of the transition, stating that while there is known technology available to solve the problem, it's not being implemented quickly enough. He emphasizes the urgency of the issue, highlighting the enormous impact it has on the economy and the environment. Despite the opposition faced from well-funded sources, Straubel remains optimistic about the capabilities of technology and the potential for change.
01:00:00 - 01:20:00
JB Straubel, co-founder of Redwood Materials and former CTO of Tesla, discusses the importance of transitioning workers from fossil fuel industries to sustainable industries and the challenges of skilled immigration. He emphasizes the need for faster progress in sustainable choices and investments and the complexities involved in transitioning to sustainable practices. Straubel also addresses the bottlenecks and complexities in the battery supply chain, including limited refining and processing capacity for lithium and the manufacturing of specialty materials for batteries. He suggests recycling and remanufacturing as a solution to break China's monopoly on the battery supply chain and highlights the efforts of Redwood Materials in recycling and reusing lithium-ion batteries.- 01:00:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses the importance of transitioning workers from fossil fuel industries to sustainable industries. He emphasizes the need to provide jobs and training for people working in various sectors that need to be transitioned, such as fossil fuel and mineral industries. Straubel also acknowledges the need for a diverse and inclusive workforce in clean tech companies like Redwood Materials. However, he prioritizes building a sustainable company and creating sustainable jobs as the main focus. He also mentions the challenges of finding enough employees and suggests that opening up immigration could help address the shortage of skilled workers needed for manufacturing battery components and scaling up the industry.
- 01:05:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses the challenges of skilled immigration and the need for faster progress in sustainable choices and investments. He expresses optimism about technology's potential but acknowledges the complexity and slow pace of human behavior change. Straubel also mentions the complexities involved in transitioning to sustainable practices, such as the impact on wealth, jobs, and politics. He then addresses the role of mandates and policies in promoting recycled battery materials, emphasizing the need for thoughtful implementation. Lastly, he mentions that bottlenecks may arise in the refining of metals within the battery supply chain in the next five years.
- 01:10:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses the bottlenecks and complexities in the battery supply chain. He mentions that there is a vast resource space for lithium, but the refining and processing capacity is currently limited, leading to a bottleneck in lithium production for high-purity batteries. Additionally, he highlights the complexity of manufacturing specialty materials that function as a battery, comparing it to the semiconductor fabs that make cathode materials. Straubel also explains the differences between lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) Lithium-ion batteries in terms of cost, energy density, and environmental impact. He emphasizes the importance of considering the full life cycle and recycling of these chemistries. Ultimately, he suggests that both LFP and NMC batteries will coexist in the market, with different applications favoring one over the other.
- 01:15:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses his proposal for breaking China's monopoly on mining, conversion, and manufacturing. He believes that recycling and remanufacturing is the key to disrupting this monopoly. By investing in reprocessing and recycling, and building a fleet of EVs powered by sustainable energy, we can achieve ultimate energy security and independence from China's dominance. Straubel emphasizes the importance of scaling up recycling technology and avoiding potential bottlenecks or disputes that could hinder progress. Overall, he sees recycling and remanufacturing as a straightforward and powerful solution to breaking China's monopoly on the battery supply chain.
- 01:20:00 In this section, JB Straubel discusses the importance of building a better battery supply chain. He emphasizes the need for sustainable sourcing of raw materials and the challenges faced in scaling up battery production. Straubel also highlights the efforts of Redwood Materials, a company he co-founded, in recycling and reusing lithium-ion batteries to help create a more circular economy.
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