Tesla Wants to Rewrite the Rules with Model S Battery
Many electric-vehicle designers have major doubts about this number. To put it in perspective as to what a breakthrough a 300-mile-range battery pack would be, consider that the typical EV battery is expected to get around 20 kilowatt-hours. Straubel says the 300-mile-range battery pack will get 85-95 kwh.
Tesla’s would be the biggest battery pack on the market, and it would push well past what people think is possible with the packs, given the current technology. Tesla is working with experimental high-density cells to make it happen, but skeptics say that a pack with that range would weigh 1,000-1,800 pounds and cost as much as $45,000.
Tesla has announced a Model S base price of $57,400 (with a $7,500 federal tax credit), and Straubel told Design News that he predicts the battery pack will cost “in the ballpark” of $18,000. He also notes that battery technology has been improving at a rate of 8% a year, and the possible energy density has doubled since 2000.
We look forward to seeing if Tesla can make good on that promise because whether it pushes the price of a Model S up into the $75,000 range or not, it could also send battery-pack technology leap-frogging forward.
