Tesla will use LiFePO4 cells instead of cobalt-based cells in China?
Interesting news from the Far East. Reuters Says Tesla Is In Preliminary Talks With Battery Supplier LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate, LFP). They offer a lower energy density than other cobalt-based lithium-ion cells, but are also significantly cheaper.
Will Tesla convince the world to use LFP cells?
LFP (LiFePO4) rarely get into cars because they can store less energy for the same weight. This means that trying to maintain the selected battery capacity (eg 100 kWh) requires the use of larger and heavier battery packs. And this can be a problem when the car has jumped 2 tons in weight and is approaching 2,5 tons ...
> Samsung SDI with lithium-ion battery: today graphite, soon silicon, soon lithium metal cells and a range of 360-420 km in the BMW i3
However, according to Reuters, Tesla is in talks with CATL to supply LiFePO cells.4... They should be cheaper "by several tens of percent" than "real" ones. It has not been disclosed whether the NCA cells that Tesla uses around the world were considered “present,” or the NCM variant it wants (and is using?) In China.
NCA are nickel-cobalt-aluminum cathode cells and NCM are nickel-cobalt-manganese cathode cells.
LiFePO cells4 they have these disadvantages, but they also have several advantages: their discharge curve is much more horizontal (minimal voltage drop during operation), they withstand more charge-discharge cycles and are safer than other lithium-ion cells. It is also difficult to overestimate the fact that they do not use cobalt, which is an expensive element and regularly causes controversy due to the location of its deposits and children who are accustomed to working in mines.
> General Motors: Batteries are cheaper and will be cheaper than solid electrolyte batteries in less than 8-10 years [Electrek]
Initial photo: (c) CATL, CATL Battery / Fb
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