Elon Musk on solid state batteries

What are the major problems with current battery technology?

There are quite a few problems with lithium-ion batteries right now. First, they are expensive. Lithium-ion batteries are produced in huge facilities and require a lot of energy to be produced. That energy has to come from somewhere, and that’s usually fossil fuels.

The result is a battery that can be quite expensive. The other major problem is that they degrade with each charge cycle and don’t last very long. The process of charging and discharging batteries causes certain reactions within the electrodes that create undesired byproducts.

Over time, these reactions become more and more significant, and the battery can lose as much as 80% of its capacity after 1000 cycles. That’s why Elon Musk is so excited about solid state batteries. They address both those problems and are a game changer for the industry.

Why is Elon Musk so excited about solid state batteries?

As we’ve seen, lithium-ion batteries have a few problems. But what makes Elon Musk so excited about solid state batteries?

First and foremost, they are cheaper to produce. This is mainly because silicon (a very common material) is much cheaper than the materials used in lithium-ion batteries.

To top this off, they don’t degrade as quickly. With current batteries, the reaction between the electrodes happens in both electrodes at the same time. With solid state batteries, this reaction is localized in just one of the electrodes. The result: longer life span and lower risk of total failure.

And last but not least, they can charge much faster than current batteries. This is mainly due to the fact that solid state batteries have very little internal resistance. Less internal resistance means higher current loads and shorter charging times.

Solid state batteries are already on the market

Yes, that’s right! Solid state batteries are already on the market. There are two companies currently developing this technology: Samsung and Japan’s Panasonic. Both are expected to release commercial products before the end of the year.

Given the current state of the industry, it’s likely that Samsung and Panasonic are already working with automotive manufacturers to integrate their batteries into cars and vehicles. That’s why it’s not surprising that Elon Musk is talking about this technology.

He is always on the lookout for the next big thing and has been talking about switching to solid state batteries for a long time now. It’s not uncommon for him to discuss new technologies, especially those that he believes hold enormous potential.

When will we see solid state batteries in Tesla’s products?

Given the fact that we are already seeing solid state batteries in production and that they have the potential to disrupt the entire energy storage industry, it’s not surprising that Tesla’s customers are asking when they will be available.

And while it’s hard to say whether they will be used in Tesla’s cars, they could easily find their way into Tesla’s home energy storage products like the Powerwall. Tesla has been consistently improving its products, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the company already started developing solid state batteries for home use.

The biggest question at this point: how long will it take for those products to hit the market? The good news is that Tesla is well-equipped to produce these batteries quickly.

Its Gigafactory in Nevada has the capacity to produce enough batteries to power 500,000 electric vehicles each year. That means that Tesla can theoretically produce enough batteries for its home energy products in just a few months. That’s not to say that it will, but it has the capacity to do so if it chooses to do so.

Conclusion

As you can see, Elon Musk on solid state batteries is a really big deal. With this new type of batteries, we can expect to see a decrease in production costs, an increase in battery life spans, and a decrease in charging times. These batteries will also be safer and less likely to fail, which is definitely a good thing.