Tesla Megapacks Will Use Lower Cost LFP Batteries

Canaccord Genuity reports that Tesla Megapack will be using LFP cathode batteries. LFP batteries are cheaper but less energy dense than lithium ion batteries with nickel.

Megapack is Tesla’s largest battery storage product and has a maximum energy capacity of 3 MWh per unit. The new Megapack is design optimized for quick installations, and its shipping container-like form allows it to be scaled easily. Tesla says the Megapack requires 40% less space and 10x fewer parts than current systems on the market.

Canaccord Genuity expects accelerated growth in Tesla’s energy generation and storage business. They conservatively forecast $8 billion in revenue in 2025 with gross margins at parity or better than its battery electric vehicle business. Tesla electric cars have 25% gross margin.

SOURCES- Cleantechnica
Written By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com (Brian owns shares of Tesla)

9 thoughts on “Tesla Megapacks Will Use Lower Cost LFP Batteries”

  1. Right
    For vehicles energy stored per liter & per kg are important.
    For stationary applications energy storage per dollar is what is important.
    That is why pumped hydro has been *the* way to do grid scale energy storage. You just need something else where the topography is wrong for pumped hydro.

  2. It's realistic, in the sense that stationary grid applications aren't as heavily density dependent as vehicle applications o can accept lower tier but cheaper batteries, and LFP batteries are being made in bulk at good prices in china right now, while fancier chemistry/cells for should be prioritized by Tesla for it's own cars.

  3. i think the actual charge-discharge figure-of-merit ought to be in terms of ∑kWh per kWh of cells.  Turns out, that with a surprisingly robust rate-of-charge factor, the useful (debatable) life of a modern lithium cell is about 50% × 3,000 or 1,500… 

    This means that every kilowatt hour of battery in your e-vehicle, it is good for about 1500 kWh of total delivered power to the motor, heater, AC, lights and WiFi nano-network inside the car.  

    There is a bit of derating both for extra-low temperature and extra-hot ambient conditions. Multiply by 0.90 at the extremes.  And there's a derating for use of REALLY fast 'superchargers' (above 1.0 c rate).  They degrade the batteries longevity.  Call it another 0.90 at 2 c, and 0,8 at 4 c. ('c' is whatever the capacity is of the battery pack of the vehicle. e.g. a Tesla X 90 has a 90 kWh pack, so c = 90)

    Still, the point is sanguine. 1500 kWh per kWh of battery capacity.  

    Even in the case where a person doesn't really completely discharge-and-recharge their pack, but just keeps it topped off, the same 1500 Wh/Wh remains.

    And 1 kWh = 3.2 to 4.1 miles.

    90 kWh = 1500 × 3.5 × 90 = 450,000 miles, plus.

    ⋅-⋅-⋅ Just saying, ⋅-⋅-⋅
    ⋅-=≡ GoatGuy ✓ ≡=-⋅

  4. These are stationary units. They aren't for vehicles.

    You sacrifice some space for a lot of savings. It doesn't have to be as
    light or efficient. It's like a big UPS. The fact that it sues common nickel
    instead of Lithium seems to be a big plus.

  5. What is worse about being cheaper? It lowers the manufacturing cost for cars and energy storage. LFP batteries have a life of 2000-10,000 cycles, depending on depth of discharge and other factors. In a vehicle with 300 mi range, that's ~600,000 miles or more. The rest of the car will wear out first. For storage, where you don't always max out the charge cycle, it could last 25 years.

  6. It's a little disappointing to see Tesla using worse/cheaper batteries. Chinese Model 3's are already using these batteries, I'm hoping US made vehicles won't also go that route.

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