Blog Report: Million-Mile Model 3 Planned for China Production

Tesla’s Model 3 is set to receive a battery pack that will last more than a million miles, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL), which makes batteries for Tesla, told Bloomberg that the company is ready to produce a battery that lasts 16 years and 1.24 million miles. The report points out that warranties on batteries for EVs is currently about 150,000 miles or eight years.

A million-mile vehicle is certainly a compelling offer, particularly when the car is affordable and packed with unique tech and performance features.   CATL has not said that it has a contract to supply the new battery to Tesla, but the technology development was reportedly a collaboration between the two companies. Bloomberg reported that new Shanghai-built Model 3 sedans will be the first to receive the battery.

CATL Chairman Zeng Yuqun told Bloomberg that the new battery costs 10 percent more than the batteries it already supplies.

 

[SammichLover]

Good point. The more I read, the more this sounds like a sales pitch for CATL than a true "leak" with real information about a Tesla product.

Crafty timing on CATL's part, floating this out there with this kind of wording to draft in behind Tesla's news-making cachet.

 

[Brando]

If you can't buy it - just click bait - why am I even bothrting to comment??

 

[CyberGus]

If you can't buy it - just click bait - why am I even bothrting to comment??

 

[Malc]

Even if it costs more up front, it will have significant residual value. You could drive your Tesla for 10 years and then sell off just the battery with "only" 900,000 miles of range left.

Of course, in 10 years, we'll all be using Mr. Fusion.

Mr Fusion had his day and failed to turn up to the party.
Renewables and distributed grid level storage with V2G is the future. That’s why the “million mile” battery is important... not to drive a million miles.

 

[Brando]

1989 Saab 900 SPG with 1 million-mile donated to a museum!

 

[CyberGus]

1989 Saab 900 SPG with 1 million-mile donated to a museum!

It was an ‘89 Saab. It only feels like a million miles

 

[Brando]

It was an ‘89 Saab. It only feels like a million miles

best designed car since 1968. Not until air bags could you get any safer. Most comfortable seats (6'2" fit me perfecit IMHO.)

Only bought two cars (both used 1976 Saab99 and 1989 Saab900 - pretty boring, no? According to insurance records, one of the safest cars built. yeh, color me a fan boy. Too old to want nor afford a Tesla - if it ever wears out, I'd probably buy a used Tesla. I don't know what happens in the future.

think they made ~ 1 million 99/900 Saabs. side note: 1.8 million Corvairs 8 or 10 years...

PS- Volvo 240 (Dad's last car) had horrible seats IMHO. He was a life long Pontiac, Buick, Chevy buyer new ones every few years, til he stopped working. I think he drove the Volvo ~20years.

Now Madison Ave. (even as cars have improved (some of them for sure) think they need new ones, only costs GM/Ford $5 or $6 billion a year in ads. I think a little insane.

(side note: After 18 years of secret development as the successor to the Traction Avant, the DS 19 was introduced on 5 October 1955 at the Paris Motor Show. In the first 15 minutes of the show, 743 orders were taken, and orders for the first day totalled 12,000.[7] During the 10 days of the show, the DS took in 80,000 deposits; a record that stood for over 60 years,[8] until it was eclipsed by the Tesla Model 3 which received 180,000 first day deposits in March 2016.[9] wikipedia

Historical lesson? People don't seem to learn from history - of course not, as they mostly don't know much history. Citroën DS - Wikipedia

 

[Uncle Paul]

Believe the Million Mile battery has zero significance to any current Tesla buyers.

Just a marketing hook.

 

[Nosken]

I drove a third of a third of a million miles total in 3 SAABs. Yes, great seats, and wonderful freeway cruiser.
I now have 150,000 miles in two Model Ss. The fold down seat, hatchback is very similar to the SAAB 900 five door for functionality. Safety, comfort and AutoPilot make the Model S a better freeway cruiser.

 

[P3dStealth]

Believe the Million Mile battery has zero significance to any current Tesla buyers.

Just a marketing hook.

This... I have never had a million mile gas car. Most I've hit was 160,000 before selling it. By that time it was outdated significantly. Nobody will want to keep these cars past 200k even if they had a million mile battery.

I'd rather they bring down the price of current packs so we can replace for the cost of a typical engine rebuild. Not that I've ever had to rebuild one anyway.

 

[CyberGus]

People don't seem to learn from history - of course not, as they mostly don't know much history.

“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Those who do learn from history are doomed to stand by helplessly while they watch everyone else repeat it.”

 

[Valore]

This is in a way old news. The CATL batteries that Tesla has requested to
be used in China are a larger foot print so sr or sr+ only. They are cheaper than
what they use today. All marketing my guess.

The new CATL "million mile" battery is LFP, which has always crushed NCA/NMC in terms of cycle life. LFP is also cheaper and much safer. The problem has been low energy density, which restricted it to large commercial vehicles and heavy, low-range BEVs that only sold in China thanks to large subsidies.

CATL, along with BYD/Guoxuan/etc., have improved LFP's energy density from ~100 Wh/kg at the cell level to almost 200. That's still well behind NCA/NMC in the 250-275 range, but the Chinese have also developed new pack architectures that reduce overhead weight by eliminating modules and liquid cooling. They promise 150 Wh/kg at the pack level vs. Panasonic/Tesla in the 160-170 range.

I don't know about power and charging speed, I get the sense these may limit the new LFP to lower spec packs while high end cars continue to use NCA/NMC.

CATL will start making this "million mile" LFP batteries in Ningde, China and in their plant in Germany that is under construction.
CATL starts construction of its first overseas factory in Germany

BYD comes out with their own "million mile" battery (blade batteries, 3000 charge cycles, 1.2 million km) these days, which is no coincidence. Guoxuan and the other will follow soon.

 

[Zinjan]

Tesla’s Model 3 is set to receive a battery pack that will last more than a million miles, according to a report from Bloomberg. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL), which makes batteries for Tesla, told Bloomberg that the company is ready to produce a battery that lasts 16 years and 1.24 million miles. The...
[WPURI="https://teslamotorsclub.com/blog/2020/06/08/report-million-mile-model-3-planned-for-china-production/"]READ FULL ARTICLE[/WPURI]

Tesla’s Model 3 is set to receive a battery pack that will last more than a million miles, according to a report from Bloomberg. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL), which makes batteries for Tesla, told Bloomberg that the company is ready to produce a battery that lasts 16 years and 1.24 million miles. The...
[WPURI="https://teslamotorsclub.com/blog/2020/06/08/report-million-mile-model-3-planned-for-china-production/"]READ FULL ARTICLE[/WPURI]

As in bicycle parts : durable- lightweight- inexpensive

Pick two