So, I've been given some extra thought on recent news of solid state batteries, Tesla's structural batteries and everything that goes on, here is a note I came up with that I thought I'd share with the community.
Cybertruck's structural battery is just the first step.
We know that CT is incorporating a structural approach for batteries where the 4680 batteries just become a part of the structural integrity. I think this is just the first step. Where this design is going to shine is for Tesla Semi program.
I've always thought about why isn't Tesla incorporating their Semi's battery system into the trailer itself. And trailer can always be charging while being loaded/unloaded, providing minimal down time for the semi as they wait to be charged. And the answer has always come down to the fact that if we make the trailer too heavy, the possible load decreases, making it more expensive to run. But the trailer+truck itself is 35,000lbs worth of steel with a max. loaded weight at 80,000lbs. If Tesla can integrate batteries into forming the trailer bed itself, it could potentially create a trailer bed weighting not a whole lot more than 35,000lbs while retaining the same structural integrity to bear the 53,000lbs worth of load on top. This is further confirmed by Elon's comments on how he thinks about airplane design where the oil tank itself is just part of the structural integrity of the fuselage; allowing max amount of fuel loaded onto the plane while not planning for an extra part for fuel.
Solid state batteries are missing the point.
This week, we had news from Toyota that they plan to introduce an EV with solid-state batteries that's able to charge in 10min while providing decent amount of range. Similar approaches are shown by comments from QS technologies. But I think they are missing the point and put too much emphasis on EV and from a wrong POV. Tesla's battery formula program goes onto separating into 3 (or perhaps more) different type of formula depending on the need of each type of vehicle. This is not just for EV, but also the other battery programs that Tesla is currently running, namely the megapack designed for grid infrastructures. First on EV... Toyota and the others are still using the same mentality of ICE vehicles where people are used to "fill up" when they actually go into a gas station. However, as many of us with a Tesla or other EV knows, that's not the way we use EV. We charge at home when it's low and go out in the morning with a "full tank". And in long road trips or where the battery doesn't provide enough for us to get from point A to B, we charge just enough for us to get to the next charging point. This is similar to how we use cellphones. Even though we charge fully at night, if we know that given our usage, it's not going to last the day, we'd charge whenever there's a chance... just enough for us to keep going until we can fully charge it again. So, by focusing too much on charging speed, they actually forget that yes, fast charging is nice, but really what we need is many quick short burst of charges that can get us to the next point of charging. So, the need for extremely fast charging is not actually necessary. The focus should still be on the motor efficiency and longevity of the battery, which I think Tesla is right on track. Furthermore, it's always about economy of scale. The easier and more cost-efficient the manufacturing can be, whether it's the battery itself or the car as a whole, is what going to make a difference between becoming a giant in EV vs. a niche player.