6 Things You NEED To Know: 4680
Canadians have no idea all of the fancy Tesla battery technology has mostly been developed in Halifax Nova Scotia. Dalhousie University has partnered with the American EV manufacturer, and created what is commonly referred to as the Tesla Dalhousie Battery Lab.
The new 4680 Dry-Cell is going into Tesla vehicles sometime between February and April 2021. Here are 6 things you need to know for 2021 as civilization begins a serious transformation from fossil fuel road transportation to EV.
6 - Range: somewhere between 500 and 600 miles (which equals 800 km to 960 km), one can drive from Portland Maine to Washington DC or Halifax Nova Scotia to Quebec City on a single charge. Gone are the days people worried an EV wasn’t able to drive long distances. The 4680 Dry-Cell has changed the game because gasoline & diesel cars can’t go the same distance on a tank of fossil fuels…When you have driven 800 km, it’s time to stretch your legs and have a meal!
5 - Charge Times: Multiple reports have indicated the 4680 charges in 15 minutes on a Level 3 high Speed Charger. When not charging your car at home you will be able to get it done on the highway quickly for those long road trips in Canada and the United States.
4 - Cold Weather: The 4680 Dry-Cell doesn’t have a traditional electrolyte, that means the gels won’t react the same way in the cold as traditional batteries; especially when combined with the heat-pump Tesla developed that will become part of the automotive mainstream.
3 - Life of Battery: The days of questionable battery life from the first generation Nissan Leaf are over - the new Tesla 4680 is good for 3.5 million km’s (2 million miles) before it’s time to replace the battery. That means a game changer in not only the car business, but also long haul tractor trailer business.
2 - Cost: The manufacturing time and materials required for the 4680 means productions costs will drop by 56%. We are going to see real competition on the raw sticker price in the window at the local car dealer. Currently, 4,416 (Model 2170 lithium ion ) cells are placed inside a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y long-range edition battery packs. In contrast, only 960 cells are required to fill the same space with the new 4680 Dry-Cell. As an added bonus, Tesla won’t have cobalt in their batteries anymore, that means no more memes about children in the Congo!
1- Future: You are going to see serious discussions and planning in the tractor trailer long-haul business because of the 4680 Dry-Cell. The development and ingenuity that Tesla developed will create mass disruption in the market place. In current form it has 380 Wh/kg. In 5 years don’t be surprised if the 4680 Dry-Cell increases by 5% a year compounded from 380 Wh/kg to somewhere in the 480 Wh/kg to 500 Wh/kg - you need 450 Wh/kg to make commercial air passenger service viable.
Let’s hope Canada and its 10 provinces get there act together, and create a plan for a national mining policy. We can either be part of the disruption - or we can watch others benefit from it…It’s time we plan for today instead of yesterday.
Clinton P. Desveaux is a social thought leader who is available for radio & television panels, and media interviews. He has provided political advice to multiple political leaders both federal & provincial across all party lines. He has also been a guest speaker for business events. He can be reached via email: ClintonDesveaux@gmail.com