The new Tesla batteries could travel a million kilometers



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(Credit: Grisha Bruev / Shutterstock)

Car batteries do not last forever. As a rule, they should be replaced every five to six years, sometimes earlier, depending on their state of wear. But engineers working on battery development for Tesla claim to have created one that can withstand the typical energy source of a vehicle more than a decade old.

Researchers at Dalhousie University in Canada have tested a new lithium-ion battery that could last about 20 years, or a million miles, according to a report published last week in the newspaper Journal of the Electrochemical Society. The team received funding from Tesla and noted in the report that batteries could be particularly useful in "robo taxis", like those theorized by Elon Musk. But batteries, designed for electric cars, could also increase the current life of rechargeable vehicles already in circulation.

Musk repeatedly said that he wanted to drop a fleet of autonomous taxis. He plans to put about a million on the road by 2020, although experts have questioned his plan. But whatever the robo taxis, these new batteries could help fuel the electric future envisioned by Musk and others.

Heat

Batteries are known to lose their juice in extreme weather conditions. If it is too hot or too cold, the temperature can use a battery much faster than its expected life.

The heat can be particularly damaging. As a result, the researchers increased the temperature and tested the batteries in temperatures between 68, 104 and 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Even at 104 degrees, the batteries still had about two-thirds of the power supplied compared to optimal temperatures. And as Tesla's current batteries feature an integrated cooling system, equipping the new batteries with this technology could keep them at capacity equal to or greater than their capacity of one million kilometers, regardless of the weather.

Like other Tesla electric car batteries, these new batteries are lithium-ion. These, however, consist of a specific type of cells using electrolytes capable of containing higher charges at higher temperatures over a longer period. The research team released another report in March, laying the foundation for the supercharged batteries described in their new document.

Full speed

The news of these powerful batteries comes just days after Tesla confirmed the creation of a new battery manufacturing line, as well as the active search for technicians in Colorado.

For their part, Dalhousie researchers do not stop at a million kilometers. At the end of the report, the authors state: "We believe that more sophisticated models will lead to even longer life projections. wait much longer for the overworked future of your dreams.

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