MitchJi
10 MW
Hi,
Most (maybe all) of the $200 kwh price estimates come from Martin Eberhard, not Tesla but he should have a very good idea of Tesla pack prices since he was active in their development, is currently developing similar packs for VW and has no incentive to hype Tesla.
Tesla does state their packs are so much cheaper than Nissan's quoted $375/kWh price that its a competitive advantage.
$200 kwh means roughly a 150 mile range for about $6k. If that isn't a tipping point price its getting pretty close IMO.
Sources (with brief excerpts):
http://www.dailytech.com/Model+S+Wo...+Already+Predicting+a+Profit/article20544.htm
http://www.motorward.com/2011/01/tesla-to-become-profitable-using-cheap-batteries/
Most (maybe all) of the $200 kwh price estimates come from Martin Eberhard, not Tesla but he should have a very good idea of Tesla pack prices since he was active in their development, is currently developing similar packs for VW and has no incentive to hype Tesla.
Tesla does state their packs are so much cheaper than Nissan's quoted $375/kWh price that its a competitive advantage.
$200 kwh means roughly a 150 mile range for about $6k. If that isn't a tipping point price its getting pretty close IMO.
Sources (with brief excerpts):
http://www.dailytech.com/Model+S+Wo...+Already+Predicting+a+Profit/article20544.htm
http://www.dailytech.com/Tesla+CEO+...imitive+Boasts+About+Model+S/article19286.htmAccording to The Wall Street Journal Nissan's battery pack costs about $750/kWh. Tesla says it will deliver at a cost of around $200/kWh.
Brett Smith, an analyst specializing in alternative propulsion vehicles at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, agrees that Tesla is outsmarting its competitors. He states, "There’s a method to their madness. Tesla is using cells that, while not exactly the same as those in laptops, can be made on existing lines that already mass-produce them. Especially for a small manufacturer, there’s a logic to what they’re doing."
The fact that Tesla was briefly profitable when it was solely operating based on the Roadster and not investing significantly in the Model S lends support to the company's claims, as well.
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/cheap-batteries-will-make-tesla-s-model-s-profitable-29138.htmlThus when Nissan claimed to have reached production costs of $375/kWh for its upcoming 2011 Nissan LEAF EV, it turned heads. After all, most auto companies were saying that they hoped to reach $400-$700/kWh with their upcoming models.
Musk says the new vehicle will sport significant improvements to its battery. It will feature 50 percent more density per module -- meaning that it will pack 3 cells into a similar sized module for ever 2 of the Roadster's pack. It also ditches the expensive all-cobalt electrode in favor of a nickel cobalt aluminum cathode (positive electrode). The new composite cathode will be much cheaper, while not significantly impacting performance.
The company has not revealed the cost per kWh that it's targeting for the Model S. In 2009 the industry average, according to a Deutsche Bank report [PDF], was $650/kWh, but current orders being placed for the 2011/2012 timeframe are averaging $450/kWh. The rapidly dropping prices are helping to cut the cost of laptop batteries as well, which are priced at $350/kWh, according to LG Chem subsidiary Compact Power’s CEO Prabahkar Pati. Pati says that low price is a sign of things to come for the auto industry.
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/tesla-20000-model-sales-required-start-posting-profits-11763.htmlTheir new four-door all-electric sedan, expected to cost $57,000 (€42,833), will use cheaper battery cells similar to those in laptops, that will turn a profit for the California-based company after just 20,000 annual deliveries, Chief Technology Officer J.B. Straubel said in an interview...
Tesla’s battery packs, which comprise of thousands of small lithium-ion cells similar to those used in portable computers, may cost just $200 (€150) per kilowatt hour, compared to about $700 to $800 (€524 to €601) per kilowatt hour for large-form cell lithium-ion packs, stated Martin Eberhard, a Tesla founder and former chief executive.
Tesla’s 18560 cell battery pack, which is similar to our everyday laptop battery, has the benefits of preexisting R&D from major tech companies (Panasonic has invested $30 million in Tesla) and advanced economies of scale, not to mention enviable energy density. According to Martin Eberhard, Tesla’s co-founder who later left the company and has famously sparred with Tesla CEO Elon Musk since, the 18560-cell packs likely cost $200 per kilowatt-hour, which is 71- to 75-percent cheaper than large-form cell lithium-ion packs at current analyses. Additionally, the cells have already diverged onto a dedicated EV development route and are expected to see further year-over-year price drops from 6 to 8 percent.
http://www.motorward.com/2011/01/tesla-to-become-profitable-using-cheap-batteries/
Tesla Model S uses the same sort of batteries as the Roadster which are known as laptop batteries, even though they are not quite the same. Thanks to the new plans backed by Daimler and Toyota, Tesla’s new battery packs are going to be more cost effective, reportedly four times better than the ordinary lithium-ion packs.