Half of New Tesla EVs Now Use Cobalt-Free LFP Batteries! What's the Automaker's Next Move?

Half of the new Tesla EV units are now relying on cobalt-free LFP batteries, as stated by the giant electric carmaker. This is a part of the company's effort to prevent production interruptions because of the ongoing cobalt and nickel supply issues.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has already announced the LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery transition in the past few years. This EV cell is safer and cheaper compared to the cobalt models.

However, the LFP cells are still less efficient when it comes to lifespan and energy density. Although this is the case, Tesla was still able to produce high-quality EVs that are powered by LFP batteries.

Half of New Tesla EVs Now Use Cobalt-Free LFP Batteries!

According to Electrek's latest report, the cobalt-free LFP batteries are now better compared to the older models. Because of this, experts said that they could already be used for shorter-range and lower-end electric cars.

This can be shown in the effort made by Tesla. The giant EV maker confirmed that nearly half of its Model 3 Rear-Wheel-Drive and Model Y Standard Range units are already using the LFP cells.

"Like it says so in our letter, but half of our products were LFP last quarter, which shows how quickly we were able to respond," said Drew Baglino, Tesla's SVP of Engineering.

He added that they decided to do this not because of the cobalt supply shortages but because they think that integrating LFP batteries is the right thing to do.

Next EV Battery Move of Tesla

Baglino said that they are still working on other types of EV batteries to easily adjust to the demand of the auto industry.

Although he didn't confirm the other upcoming cell options, the Tesla official said they plan to work on a new manganese-based cathode battery.

Of course, this will still take some time since the automaker needs to make some adjustments to its cathode chemistry.

Efforts like this are what attract consumers to avoid Tesla's products. USA Today reported that the automaker's earnings are now seven times higher compared to its sales in 2021.

Meanwhile, the new Tesla In-Car WiFi Hotspot feature is now being tested with Comcast and other telecom companies.

On the other hand, Elon Musk claims that the pressure imposed by logistics and suppliers is the reason for Tesla's price hikes.

For more news updates about Tesla and its upcoming innovations, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

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Written by: Griffin Davis