Gigafactory Could Build $100 Per kWh Batteries

Tesla Motors has broken ground on a potential Gigafactory location in Nevada, and has signed on Panasonic as a partner in this multi-billion dollar deal. The Tesla Gigafactory is really happening, and a new report suggests that it could lower EV battery costs by even more than expected.

That’s the word from the Motley Fool, which took a look at where Tesla is, where it’s going, and what it has to do to reach that $100 kWh price point that would give EVs price parity with conventional cars. Elon Musk has been quoted as saying the Gigafactory would bring about a 30% reduction in battery pack costs, but lately that is being seen as a somewhat conservative estimate.

But because Tesla hasn’t publicly discussed the cost-per-kWh of their battery packs, it’s hard to say just how much the price has to come down to reach the $100 per kWh cost, though most estimates say that the battery pack currently costs about 25% of the MSRP of the Model S. That would put the 60 kWh battery pack in the range of $17,500, or nearly $300 a kWh; a 30% reduction would bring that down to $200 a kWh.

But Motley Fool says that the 30% price cut doesn’t figure in any battery advances that could happen in the next few years, and instead relies simply on the scales of economy to bring costs down. A battery breakthrough could further reduce Tesla’s costs, achieving price parity (or perhaps even undercutting) combustion cars.

Of course this is all based on a best-case scenario; any minor hiccups along the way could delay the hoped-for cost cuts, and Tesla Model III buyers likely won’t have the $7,500 tax rebate to count on either.

Can Tesla bring battery costs on par with petrol-powered vehicles, or is this more bullish Elon hype?

Source: Gas 2.

Dauphine-Lamarck’s 1998 Honda CG125

The most significant trend in today’s motorcycle industry is the shifting of focus away from the aging baby-boomer crowd of wanna-be Hell’s Angel accountants and orthodontists who fueled the last Harley boom towards the young, trendy urbanites who will, hopefully, catch the 2-wheeled fire and fan its flames for the next 30-40 years of their lives. It’s a smart, calculated move- but new bikes from major players aren’t the only indication that “what’s hot” is light, nimble, and small-displacement. Enter Dauphine-Lamarck and his sexy, street-styled 1998 Honda CG125.

Like many of you, I’m sure, 1998 doesn’t seem like it was 16 long model years ago to me. Even so, the Honda CG’s basic design came to us even earlier- in the 1980s- and continues, mostly, in the bargain-basement CG110 Honda sells in Nigeria and other developing nations. That “boring” bike gets a subtle, but effective restyling by Dauphine-Lamarck that puts the little Honda CG125 on level playing field with “store-bought” cafe racers from Triumph and Royal Enfield (even if those bikes would, admittedly, leave the Honda in the dust).

The crew at Paris-based Dauphine-Lamarck specializes in small capacity Hondas from the 1960s through 1990s, and works to provides accessible, affordable customs to those that appreciate their philosophy and approach. What they’d be willing to do for you and your Honda Grom 125, however, remains to be seen- but you can tell us what you think of their “philosophy and approach” in the comments section, below.

Source | Photos: the Bike Shed, via Motorpasion.