Electric Car Battery With 300 Mile Range, 5 Minute Charging Time. It’s Possible, Says Israeli Company

People who build conventional cars think their business model is safe because who would drive an electric car that takes an hour or more to recharge when you could drive a car with an internal combustion engine and never spend more than five minutes filling the tank? Range anxiety is seen by many as the number one reason people don’t want to buy an electric car, but it really is about convenience.

Those who advocate for hydrogen fuel cell powered cars use the same argument — it only takes 10 minutes of so to refuel with hydrogen. What sort of idiot would waste an hour or more charging a battery when filling a hydrogen storage tank takes so little time?

Both groups may be about to have their worlds turned upside down by StoreDot, an Israeli company that claims it has new a new battery that can go three hundred miles on a charge and then be replenished in only five minutes. If true, the electric car revolution just took a giant leap forward.

First, a word of caution. The news is filled with stunning advances in battery technology that are coming from laboratories around the world. Billions is being spent on battery research every year. People like John Goodenough have devoted their entire lives to finding better batteries.

StoreDot demonstrated its new battery to the public at the CUBE Tech Fair in Berlin last week but mostly what the company has done is create a very cool video that shows how its new flash battery works. According to the company, it uses “proprietary organic compounds” and no graphite. It claims the electrolyte is non-flammable.

“Fast Charging is the critical missing link needed to make electric vehicles ubiquitous. The currently available battery technology dictates long charging times which makes the EV form of transportation inadequate for the public at large,” says StoreDot co-founder and CEO Dr. Doron Myersdorf. “We’re exploring options with a few strategic partners in the auto space to help us boost the production process in Asia and reach mass production as soon as possible.”

The possibilities are mind boggling. Tesla’s Supercharger network would be rendered obsolete overnight. Wireless charging strategies would cease to be relevant. Electric cars would be as convenient to use as conventional cars. The switch to electric cars would be moved forward by a decade of more, with all that implies for lowering carbon emissions and ending the hegemony of the fossil fuel industry. For those reasons alone, let’s hope the StoreDot technology is more than just hype.

Source: The Drive

Obama, States Agree To Increase EV Charging Infrastructure

Ask most people what is holding back the electric car revolution and they will tell you it is a lack of EV charging infrastructure. Confusion about how charging stations work is a close second. Recently, Alex Davis wrote an long and sometimes amusing piece for Wired that focuses on the difficulties he encountered finding places to charge the Nissan LEAF he borrowed for week long test drive.

He begins by explaining why an EV is fundamentally different from a car with an internal combustion engine. It’s more like a smartphone. Use it, plug it in overnight, use it again the next day. He calls it the “grazing versus gorging” model. Which is all well and good if you have a place to plug your EV in overnight. Davis lives in an apartment building in San Francisco and so he was totally dependent on public chargers. That’s where his problems began.

When he needed to recharge, the navigation system directed him to a facility that was no longer functional. Precious miles were wasted driving to the closed location, which only made his need to find a working charger more critical. Next, he drove to a hospital parking lot, spent ten minutes driving around but could not locate the charger that was supposed to be there.

Ah hah! There’s a charger at a nearby mall according to his smartphone app. Except this charger is not part of the ChargePoint network that his borrowed LEAF is linked to. Frustrating minutes leak by while he struggles to set up an account so he can access the charger. Fortunately, it’s not raining. After establishing an account, he plugs in but the car won’t connect to the charger.

Davis spots a ChargePoint location on the other side of the mall, but both chargers are in use. He has to wait 20 minutes for one of them to become available, than another 30 minutes to get enough of a charge to get home. A trip that should have taken an hour took three. Plus, Davis’ nerves are seriously jangled as a result of his travails. That’s why many people want nothing to do with an electric car.

The Obama administration and several states are planning a major push to expand the EV charging infrastructure. Their plan is to create 48 national EV charging networks along 25,000 miles of roads in the US in 35 states. The project has the support of several utility companies, the major charging networks, and several car makers, including including General Motors, BMW, and Nissan.

Money is always a factor in projects like this. In July, the US Energy Department announced that charging facilities are now eligible for up to $4.5 billion in loan guarantees. However, no loans have been made as a result. The big question that needs answering is whether private companies can make money operating charging networks.

At the beginning of the automobile age, gas stations made money for their owners by dispensing gasoline and doing repairs. Today, gas stations rely on attached convenience stores for most of their income. EVs require 30 minutes to an hour of charging time but many are stuck out in the middle of nowhere. People have no access to rest rooms, restaurants, or other businesses to help them pass their time.

Tesla is the only company that seem to have this figured out. It works diligently to put its Supercharger locations where there are rest rooms and restaurants available. In fact, many savvy business people ask Tesla to consider their stores and restaurants when choosing Supercharger locations. Tesla also consciously selects locations where single women will feel comfortable charging at night.

Everybody talks about EV charging infrastructure but few people seem to be doing anything about it. In a world in which there is an app for ordering a pizza, there are few digital assistants with accurate information about where chargers are located, whether or not they are in service, and whether they are in use. They also do not allow a driver to reserve a charging time in advance.

The entire field of EV charging is haphazard, chaotic, confusing, and frustrating. Only Tesla is doing things right. Everyone else is running around chasing their tails. No one knows what the solution will be, but standardization of equipment and charging protocols would be a good start. Interoperability between charging networks will also be a critical feature.

Imagine if a driver pulled into a gas station and was told that he or she could not use the gas pumps for lack of a proper account with that station. That would be stupid, right? So why is it the norm when it comes to EV charging networks? Sometimes it appears Tesla is so successful not because it is so smart but rather because everyone else is so dumb.

Source: Automotive News

Tesla Reports First Quarterly Profit In Nearly Three Years

On October 26, Tesla Motors reported its first quarterly profit since the first quarter of 2013. Thanks in part to a Herculean effort by everyone in the company to build and deliver as many cars as possible in the third quarter, Tesla had net income of $21.9 million, or 14 cents per share, for the third quarter that ended Sept. 30. In the third quarter last year, the company reported a loss of $229.9 million, or $1.78 per share. Total revenue more than doubled to $2.30 billion.

Tesla delivered 24,821 cars in the third quarter. For the first time, a significant number of them were Model X SUVs, which are some of the most expensive cars the company sells and are therefore among its most profitable offerings. It also released its newest 100 kWh battery in the third quarter. That unit is only available for the time being in the Model S and Model X in P100D trim with Ludicrous Mode enabled. That combination adds $20,000 to the regular price of the cars in which it is installed and helped Tesla take in more money in the third quarter.

Offsetting some of that revenue increase, the company also introduced a lower-priced entry-level model, the Model S 60. Not to be confused with the original Model S 60 which retailed for $66,000, the new offering actually has a 75 kWh battery installed but it is software limited to 60 kWh and retails for $60,000 — a relative bargain in the high-flying world of Tesla. The Model S P100D with Ludicrous retails for more than double that amount. The software limitation can be removed at any time during the life of the car for an additional sum of $8,500.

With all that is going on with its cars, Tesla is continuing to expand its network of Supercharger locations. As of the end of September, there were 715 of them worldwide with a total of 4,416 individual charging stations. In addition, Tesla has 3,222 destination chargers with 5,547 connection points globally as of the end of the third quarter. Destination charging offers convenient charging at hotels, restaurants, and shopping centers.

Tesla’s grid storage business is also growing. In the quarter that just ended, it was selected to build and install the world’s largest grid storage system at the Southern California Edison Mira Loma substation to help reduce rolling blackouts. When complete, it will store enough electricity to power 2,500 homes for up to 24 hours. Production of batteries for electrical storage has begun at the Gigafactory in Nevada and is expected to increase substantially in coming quarters.

Tesla stock rose more than $6 per share after the earnings report was released. Of 20 analysts covering the company, seven have a “sell” rating on the stock, four rate it “buy” or higher, and nine have a “hold,” according to Thomson Reuters data.

Source: Reuters

Tesla Model 3: What We Know About Its $35,000, 200-Mile Electric Car

2012 Tesla Model S beta vehicle, Fremont, CA, October 2011

There are now 100,000 Tesla Model S electric cars on the roads, and its Model X crossover finally struggled into production last fall.

Since that time, long-range plans by Tesla Motors for a third, smaller, and much less expensive range of electric cars continue draw huge interest.

Little bits and pieces of news have filtered out, but now the big allure is the promised public debut of a concept for the car this spring.

Here's what we know so far.

CODE NAME: The new compact sedan was originally called the "Blue Star," following in line with "White Star," which turned into the Model S.

Tesla Motors, Palo Alto, California

MODEL NAME: Tesla had intended to call its third-generation car the Model E, meaning that its three volume vehicles would be the S-E-X trio. We'll leave you to ponder that one.

However, Ford turned out to have a prior trademark on the Model E, and declined to release it. The car that Tesla intends to be its high-volume, mass-market entry is now called the Model 3.

Typographically, that is often rendered as three stacked horizontal lines, as in the Tesla logo. We don't use that on this site because the character doesn't render properly on all devices.

BODY STYLES: A compact sedan, described as a BMW 3-Series competitor, will come first.

It will be followed by a crossover utility vehicle on the same platform, which Musk referred to in a 2015 tweet as the "Model Y"--following on the Model X larger crossover, presumably.

2016 Tesla Model X with 2011 Tesla Roadster Sport, photographed by owner Bonnie Norman

POSITIONING: Musk told Bloomberg in May 2013 that the new model will be a "compelling, affordable car" that's far less costly than the Model S, but nicer than the high-volume Nissan Leaf.

"What the world really needs is a great, affordable electric car," Musk said in the interview.

"I’m not going to let anything go, no matter what people offer, until I complete that mission.”

RANGE: The new model will have a range of about 200 miles, Musk has often said.

There may well be more than one battery offering, as there is in the Model S, to give higher ranges at additional cost.

TIMING: When the Model X was expected to go on sale at the end of 2014, Musk said the new, smaller Tesla will go into production in late 2016.

That timing has now moved to the end of 2017 or early 2018, and if history is any guide, that date could slip further.

Tesla future plan timeline shown at 2013 annual shareholder meeting

Volume production in the hundreds of thousands likely won't occur until 2020 or so--assuming everything goes well.

We now know, however, that Tesla plans to unveil a design for the Model 3 next month.

Rumors suggest it will be at the Geneva Motor Show, but that would be atypical for Tesla, which rarely appears at or makes major announcements at auto shows.

We also don't know if this will be a design study, an "alpha" development vehicle, or a proposed final production model.

COST: The new model has always planned to cost roughly half of what a Model S does, with Musk acknowledging that the large luxury sedan is "too expensive for most people."

The consistent quoted price has been $35,000, which Musk clarified was before any incentives are applied.

The CEO suggested a few years ago that by the time the Model 3 goes into volume production, Tesla might have used all of the 200,000 Federal income-tax credits allowed for each automaker.

With production now running at roughly 50,000 cars per year (50,557 in 2015), and a total of 100,000 Teslas on global roads, that's a distinct possibility by 2018.

2012 Tesla Model S beta vehicle, Fremont, CA, October 2011

STYLING: Musk said the Generation III car will have "a family resemblance" to the Model S. (The first-generation Tesla was the Roadster; the second-generation cars are the Model S and Model X.)

Beyond that, absolutely nothing is known about the car--and thus far, no spy shots have even emerged.

BATTERY TECHNOLOGY: Tesla has said nothing about its battery technology for the new vehicle, nor has it specified pack sizes or options.

But we know that volume production of the Model 3 will require high-volume cell fabrication and battery-pack assembly at Tesla's first gigafactory outside Reno, Nevada.

The electric-car maker and its cell partner and part owner Panasonic continues to work on more energy-dense cells and cost reductions for high-volume cell fabrication.

Musk said three years ago that he was "pretty optimistic" that the necessary advances in battery technology are achievable without "any miracles happening."

Tesla gigafactory: Planned 2020 production of lithium-ion cells [slide: Tesla Motors, Feb 2014]

OTHER TECHNOLOGY: Musk hinted that the new line might have some elements of autonomous driving, but suggested those might not be offered right at the launch.

Last fall, the company launched what it calls a "beta" version of its Autopilot self-driving software for Model S cars equipped with the necessary sensors, those built after August 2014.

The Autopilot system uses both real-time data from onboard sensors and a database of experience from other Teslas previously traveling over the same route to allow the car to drive itself under certain conditions.

SUPERCHARGER NETWORK: One of the most important features of electric-car usage has turned out to be widely available DC quick-charging, which provides up to an 80-percent battery recharge in 20 to 40 minutes.

Tesla's fast-expanding Supercharger network is far ahead of the two other competing standards for lower-priced, lower-range cars, and the company shows no sign of letting up on the pace of installation globally.

Tesla Motors Supercharger network in the U.S. - map as of January 2016

Musk has said in the past that the Model 3 will be able to use the Supercharger network, just like any other Tesla (except the Roadster).

It remains unclear if Supercharger hardware will come standard on all Model 3s, as it now is on the Model S, or whether it would be an extra-cost option.

You can rest assured that between now and the launch of the next line of Tesla cars and crossovers, there will be more coverage of every detail.

The March Of The Tesla SuperChargers Continues

The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that 8 Tesla SuperChargers are now active at a downtown public parking garage at the corner of Bijou Street and Cascade Avenue. Why is that important? Because Tesla is deliberately positioning its SuperChargers where people can visit shops or restaurants while their car fills up on electrons. Drivers pay $1.00 to park for an hour. When they leave, the city refunds the $1.00 fee and is reimbursed by Tesla. If the driver stays more than 1 hour, regular parking rates apply.

The new location will help Tesla owners travel Interstate 25 from one end of Colorado to the other, Tesla spokeswoman Alexis Georgeson told The Gazette via email. “We place superchargers along major corridors that our customers often travel and that connect city centers,” she said. “We strategically place superchargers to allow owners to drive from station to station with minimal stops.” The garage is located just a few blocks from an exit off Interstate 25.

But Tesla is doing more than just making long distance travel by electric car possible. It is also changing how we travel. For most Americans, the typical road trip involves hitting the superslab and getting to our destination as quickly as possible. Most of us time our bathroom breaks so they coincide with refueling stops so we can do both and get back on the road as quickly as possible.

Many people complain that it takes too long to recharge an electric car, but Tesla suggests we need to look at the whole long distance travel thing differently. Instead of dashing in and out of a gas station in record time. we should slow down, enjoy a leisurely meal, maybe do a little shopping, then go on our way, refreshed and relaxed. It’s the interstate version of the “slow food” movement.

Merchants love it. Tesla just opened a  SuperCharger station along the main highway that runs between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. But it’s not stuck out at the rest stop outside of town. It is located a few miles away in the center of a small town that was bypassed by the highway decades ago. Tesla owners are highly prized by merchants and restaurateurs for their upscale tastes and larger than normal wallets.

The proliferation of Tesla SuperChargers continued at a rapid rate in 2015. Tesla increased the number of locations from 330 to 590 last year, as illustrated in this happy little video. Most of the new stations are situated where drivers and passengers can eat or shop while their car is plugged in. Elon Musk’s main goal is to wean the world off fossil fuels, but a secondary objective may be to teach us to slow down and enjoy the ride.

Number of Tesla Chargers Up 200 Percent In US

When we think of recharging a Tesla, we generally think of the company’s network of SuperChargerlocations, those attractively styled high power facilities where Tesla drivers can get free electricity to extend their range while traveling. But Tesla has another arrow in its quiver — destination chargers. Those are lower powered units roughly equivalent to DC fast chargers.

Tesla Electric Car Charging Station Depolyment

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SuperChargers are intended to let you get where you are going with the shortest possible charging time along the way. Destination chargers  are intended to recharge the battery when you get where you are going and the car will be stationary for an hour or two. They are normally found at hotels, upscale B&B’s, restaurants, ski resorts and the like.

The company added 107 SuperCharger locations throughout the US in the past year, bringing the total to 224. But it added 851 destination chargers in the same time period, bring the total in the US to 1,122. All those destination chargers show up on the car’s onboard charger location software. Smart business people are eager to add a destination charger or two in order to attract business from Tesla owners in the area.

Tesla has a number of cooperative arrangements with local merchants. Sometimes it provides the charger free of charge and the destination pays to install it. The local business is permitted to assess a fee for use of the charger, but many merchants quietly absorb that expense in order to attract new business. People who drive $100,000 cars usually are the kind of customers any business would like to have, after all!

Tesla is continuously improving the performance of its SuperChargers, which are typically located along major transportation routes.and can restore a battery to an 80% charge in a half hour or less with charging rates range from 90 kW to 135 kW. Tesla has plans for SuperChargers that can charge at 200 kW. In fact, it has pioneered liquid cooled charging cables to handle the heat that such high powered equipment will generate.

Destination chargers usually have 50 kW of power, considerably less than the SuperChargers but more than enough if a car is going to be parked for a couple of hours or overnight. While other manufacturers fiddle and fret about who is going to pay for electric charger infrastructure, Tesla is just going ahead and building the most comprehensive charging network in the world. One would expect nothing less from Elon Musk and Tesla.

Liquid-cooled Superchargers Are Less Unwieldy, Faster Charging

Elon Musk has cornered the market on EV charging with his fast and free Supercharger network, which , Tesla can top off an 85 kWh Model S in about an hour. As fast as the Superchargers are though, there’s plenty of room for improvement, starting with the use of liquid-cooled cables, which aren’t just smaller and lighter, but they may also be able to charge faster too.

ChargedEVs reports on a little-mentioned factoid from the recent Tesla shareholder meeting, the slow rollout of liquid-cooled cable lines. The first set was installed at the Mountain View Supercharger station, which are smaller and lighter than even the Level 2 destination chargers Tesla has been rolling out at select locales. While the obvious benefits of an easier-to-handle cable can’t be understated, these liquid-cooled cables may also be able to deliver more power during charging.

Most Supercharger stations operate at 120 KW, though some go as high as 135 KW…too high for the current Model S to handle. But Musk said at the shareholder meeting that it’s “possible” in the “long term” that this technology could deliver even more power through Supercharger stations. If Tesla can get the time down to 30 minutes, or even less, that’d really take a lot of wind out of arguments about charging taking too long. Keep an eye out for liquid-cooled Tesla Superchargers near you.