Nikola and Tesla claim battery technology breakthrough questioned

Posted 2024-05-16 00:00:00 +0000 UTC

In recent months, Nikola and respectively announced major breakthroughs in technology, which, if confirmed, could significantly improve the endurance of electric vehicles, Auto News reported. However, while the industry cheers for this, the voice of doubt has not been cut off. In April, Tesla CEO Elon once revealed that a lithium-ion battery can provide more than 1 million miles (about 1.6 million kilometers) of battery life for Tesla electric vehicles. Compared with the model 3 battery module, which can only withstand 1500 charging cycles, the battery can withstand 4000 charging cycles with a total range of 300000-500000 miles (about 480000-800000 km). In September, researchers at the University of Dalhousie in Canada published a paper, while musk filed a patent application for a million mile battery technology. The team concluded that the battery announced by musk "should be able to provide more than 1.6 million kilometers of power to electric vehicles.". According to the study, these batteries will last two to three times longer than existing Tesla batteries. The unique chemical composition of the battery could be an ideal choice for robotic taxis, long-distance electric trucks and vehicles to power grid applications, the researchers said. On November 19, Tesla competitor Nikola said it plans to launch a "disruptive" battery technology that will be presented at the Nikola global conference in 2020. Because the technology will have a significant impact on society and emissions, the company also intends to share intellectual property with other automakers. Nikola claims that the technology will be more environmentally friendly than lithium ion batteries, doubling the range of passenger electric vehicles to 600 miles (about 966 km) with "little change in battery size and weight.". Nikola's battery life can reach 800 miles (about 1287 km) in a single charge. The positive and negative energy density of the battery is four times that of the lithium-ion battery. But some in the industry are skeptical. Sam Jaffe, executive director of Cairn era, an energy storage research and consulting firm, said Nikola was largely skeptical of the company's statement because he refused to produce performance data or disclose the university laboratory with which he worked. Tesla also published at least one paper and further explained its battery technology, clarifying that the real performance data of this battery formula can actually withstand 20000 charging cycles. "Over commitment to breakthrough battery technology has been the norm in the industry over the past few decades," Jaffe said. This has happened many times before, which is a problem for the whole industry. Because when people read these articles, they will think that the charging problem has been solved, but it is not the case. It's still hard to make a breakthrough in battery technology. In fact, there are few disruptive moments when a new chemical that has never been used before can replace an existing one and change the world. In an interview with auto news, chief executive Trevor Milton said Nikola was never afraid of questions from the outside world, and had been criticized as a myth when the company announced the launch of the truck earlier, but that was not the case. Milton said he had been looking for ways to make significant progress in battery technology for many years. About a year ago, Milton met some researchers who were working on this field. The new battery developed contains lithium element, while giving up the use of cobalt, magnesium, nickel and aluminum elements. These batteries have been charged 2000 times in the laboratory and have an "acceptable" life, but they have not been measured on the road. For safety reasons, Nikola chose to test in a simulation laboratory to prevent accidents that caused casualties.

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