Tesla CEO Elon Musk hopes to extend the life of electric vehicle batteries to 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers). Tesla’s latest new patent is expected to accelerate the realization of this goal. The patent describes a new battery lithium process, which can not only improve battery performance, but also save costs.
The traditional production process sometimes leads to the formation of impurities in the lithium substrate. Although reducing the lithium content in the battery can reduce the impurity pollution, it can also lead to poor electrochemical performance of the battery. In this regard, Tesla submitted a patent called “Method for Synthesizing Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminum Electrodes.” The revised ratio of lithium to other metals will limit the formation of impurities during the heating of battery materials. This process helps to develop single-crystal nickel-cobalt-aluminum without impurities, and the new electrode combination allows the battery to reach more than 4,000 charge cycles.
Tesla said in its patent that the reduction of pollutants will help extend the overall life of the battery and help Tesla take a big step on the road of producing a million mile battery for its cars. The development of Tesla battery technology may make the service life of electric vehicles reach 20 to 30 years, even longer than ordinary gasoline-powered vehicles.
In addition to submitting battery patents, Tesla has also been busy acquiring battery companies, including Maxwell Technologies and Hibar Systems. Both companies are developing technologies that can achieve better battery quality and more efficient production costs.
