Musk says the future of Tesla is all about the battery’s longevity.

Musk Says Tesla Plans to Boost Battery Range, Reduce Car Price to $25k

At Tesla’s Battery Day event, CEO Elon Musk broke the news that the company is working to eliminate cobalt in its batteries, have created a new Plaid powertrain for the Model S that could get to speeds of 200 mph, and is building a new cathode plant to streamline its battery production, according to a story on theverge.com.

In tandem with developing the new battery technology, which will also phase out cobalt in its cathodes, Musk said Tesla will make a $25,000 car.

The socially-distanced outdoor event had Musk and other presenters addressing Tesla shareholders in parked cars, who honked their horns to indicate their approval of the speakers’ remarks— almost like a drive-in movie/shareholders meeting.

Here are the main takeaways from Tesla’s 2020 battery day:

Tabless Battery Cells to Extend Tesla’s Range

Tesla plans to manufacture its own “tabless” batteries, which will improve its vehicles’ range and power. The new batteries will be produced in-house, which Musk says will reduce costs and bring the sale price of Tesla electric cars closer to gasoline-powered cars. It’s expected to lower Tesla’s cost per kilowatt-hour, a key metric used to measure electric vehicles’ battery packs. Tesla is removing the tab that connects the cell and what it’s powering to make what it’s calling  the 4680 cells to become six times more powerful and boost range by 16 percent.

Batteries currently in use by Telsa are built by Panasonic. Musk says moving to an in-house battery production will save big money.

Model S Plaid to Cost $139.9k in 2021

Musk has been teasing the Plaid powertrain for a while, which will be a step above its Ludicrous model. It will have a range between charges of 520 miles, get from 0-60 mph in under two seconds, and a top speed of 200 mph. The price is listed on Tesla’s website at $139,990. Musk had noted in the past that a Plaid trim level would “cost more than our current offerings,” which it does. It will be available in the Model S in late 2021.

New Cathode Plant in the Works

Musk said Tesla will build a new cathode plant for its batteries in North America to reduce supply chain costs and simplify cathode production. It’s also changing its process to make cathodes 76 percent cheaper, and produce zero wastewater. The company also plans to diversify the cathodes it uses, because of low nickel supplies. Musk said in July when Tesla announced its next factory would be in Austin, Texas that he would “strongly consider” runner-up city Tulsa, Oklahoma for future projects.

Musk went on to talk about reducing or eliminating the use of cobalt in battery building due to the negative impact on people and the planet.

read more at theverge.com