August 10, 2024
Karan Singh
Tesla is planning to bring the Tesla Semi truck to Europe, according to a new Tesla job listing posted on the company's European job board.
The new Tesla Semi factory recently began construction and is expected to begin operations in late 2025, with mass production of the Tesla Semi expected to begin in 2026.
European Cicada
The Semi is a great truck, well suited to European roads. According to the European Commission, the average range of a semi tractor-trailer in the EU is about 141.3 km (about 88 miles). The Tesla Semi has a range of about 800 km (500 miles), allowing it to make multiple round trips without stopping and charging.
The introduction of MCS (Megawatt Charging System) infrastructure at commercial sites could allow Tesla Semi to replace almost the entire European Semi fleet. MCS allows the Tesla Semi to charge to 80% of its range in under 30 minutes, which equates to 640 km (400 miles).
Combine the Semi's clear advantages, such as fast charging, effective range, quick acceleration, lower operating costs, reduced maintenance, and lower total cost of ownership, and the value proposition is easy. Additionally, Tesla will eventually introduce FSD in the Tesla Semi, which will make highway driving much easier and safer for truck drivers.
Job Information
This job is for a Head of Business Development for Tesla Semi in Europe in Amsterdam or Berlin. Tesla is looking for this position to build customer relationships, plan Tesla's future Semi rollout, and sell Semi to major road transport companies.
Going forward, he is expected to work with governments to coordinate funding, as well as work with customers to coordinate the rollout of the Semi and the installation of MCS at their locations. Essentially, this is a C-level leadership position aimed at selling the Tesla Semi and its associated systems in Europe and driving truck electrification.
If you're interested in applying, Tesla is looking for candidates with experience in fleet management and commercial vehicles and fluent German.
We're excited to see the Tesla Semi on the roads in both North America and Europe, as it's a vehicle with a promising future in both cases.
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August 10, 2024
Karan Singh
Samsung SDI, which already produces some of Tesla's 4680 battery cells, recently began testing a new solid-state battery.
Solid-state batteries promise to be smaller, lighter, cooler and safer than the current cell formats used in electric vehicles. Solid-state batteries hold a lot of promise and potential.
Let's take a closer look at what these new batteries are all about and why they're hyped up on major news channels every time a company announces them.
Normal battery
The biggest thing to understand about solid-state batteries is how they differ from regular batteries in terms of materials and design. We'll first discuss regular batteries and then discuss solid-state batteries.
Currently, Tesla EVs, and EVs in general, use one of two types of batteries: LFP or NMC. LFP batteries are made up of Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFP on the periodic table), while NMC are made up of Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NiMnCo). Tesla uses LFP batteries in its standard range vehicles and NMC battery configurations for its longer range or higher performance siblings.
The biggest difference here is price and performance: LFP is more chemically stable and degrades less, but has a lower energy density, whereas NMC has better performance, more output energy, and higher energy density, but is less chemically stable and degrades faster.
These chemical differences also affect temperature, with NMC batteries performing much better than LFP batteries in more extreme weather conditions, such as extreme cold or heat.
These two types of batteries also contain a liquid electrolyte, which is a moist medium that is electrically conductive and allows for the movement of ions within the battery pack, but does not conduct electricity. Now, let's put all that aside and see what solid-state batteries bring to the table.
Solid-state battery
Solid-state batteries do not contain liquid electrolytes, which is already a big change, because most of the weight and density increase in a typical battery pack comes from the heavy liquid that is actually in the battery. Instead, a stable solid electrolyte is used, usually in the form of a glass or ceramic.
Essentially, this frees up space and makes it easier to cool the battery, which is why today solid-state batteries are used in smartwatches and other wearable devices, and even pacemakers. In fact, the space savings is so great that a solid-state battery equivalent to an LFP or NMC battery uses only one-tenth of the space and weighs less as well.
Additionally, solid-state batteries do not require all the additional equipment to monitor, control, and cool the liquid electrolyte: the pack is a solid block that can be cooled similarly to a PC component such as a CPU.
Removing the liquid electrolyte also improves the safety of your vehicle. You've probably heard that you should never puncture a battery pack. This is because removing the electrolyte can cause LFP and NMC batteries to go into thermal runaway. The battery has no way to cool down, and this thermal reaction can spread throughout the battery and lead to a fire. Additionally, electrolytes tend to be flammable and toxic, making battery fires extremely dangerous, but still a rare occurrence.
Although electrolytes perform an important job of moving ions around, they can actually permanently damage battery components, causing corrosion and buildup over a very long period of time – which is exactly what causes a battery to deteriorate.
Solid-state electrolytes solve all of these problems. Well, most of them. Solid-state electrolytes also degrade over time, but they last a very long time, which is why many companies advertise 20-year lifespans and decent energy densities.
Samsung's recent solid-state battery breakthrough claims 20-year lifespan at 500Wh/kg. Tesla's latest 4680 cells are now at 244-296Wh/kg. Samsung also announced a huge improvement in charging speed (9 minutes). This is probably more like 20-80% than 0-100%. At the ends of the curve, charging speeds tend to slow down significantly to protect the battery, and extremely low state of charge is rare.
Where is the solid state?
We've mentioned that we already use solid-state batteries in other applications, such as wearable devices. But why not in cars? Solid-state batteries are expensive. In fact, they are very, very expensive to manufacture at the size and scale needed to power EVs. Tesla and its battery suppliers, including Samsung, CATL, and LG, have been prototyping and developing their own solid-state battery projects for years.
Figuring out how to scale these up could dramatically improve vehicle range and lifespan, and also speed up charging times, but that doesn't seem like it's coming anytime soon: It could take engineers and scientists several years to figure it all out, and several more to mass-produce them.
August 9, 2024
Karan Singh
Tesla has introduced an all-new subscription bundle in the US and Canada for its Model S and Model X. The new bundle option combines multiple Tesla subscriptions into one, something that Tesla has never done before.
3 Year Bundle
Tesla's new three-year bundle is only available on the Model S and two Model X variants (Long Range or Plaid). The bundle is priced at $5,000 USD, but pricing in Canada has yet to be finalized. The bundle itself includes three years of FSD subscription, plus free Supercharging and Premium Connectivity for the same period. It's a great deal if you plan on only using your vehicle for Supercharging or making heavy use of Supercharging for travel or work.
The Canadian website has not yet been updated to reflect the new bundles, but is expected to do so in the coming hours or days.
Let's take a closer look: 3 years is 36 months, so that's the basis for our calculations.
FSD subscription for 3 years: $3,564
3 Years Premium Connectivity (annual plan): $297
Free Supercharge: $1,139
If you plan on continually driving long distances in the US or Canada, the free Supercharging for $1,139 is worth it: the included Supercharging is unlimited, and one full charge at a high-rate Supercharger (say $0.50/kWh) can cost around $50.
To break even, you'll need to drive 5,000 to 10,000 miles exclusively on Superchargers over a three-year period. The actual figure will vary depending on the model, efficiency, and exact price of the Supercharger. This isn't for everyone, but if you regularly use Superchargers for long-distance trips, commuting, or local trips, it could be a great deal for those deciding to buy a new Tesla.
Quicksilver Model 3
In addition to yesterday's Cybertruck reservation changes and new subscription bundles, Tesla also introduced a Quicksilver color option for the Model 3 in the US.
Tesla's Quicksilver color has been highly requested since it was first launched in Europe and then Canada, and the color has finally come to the U.S., where it's available on any version of the Model 3. In Canada, where Model 3s are imported from Gigafactory Shanghai, Quicksilver has been available since launch.
Currently, Quicksilver is available as an option on Model 3s produced in the U.S. The original silver option for the Model 3 was discontinued in 2018, so this is a refreshing change for those looking for this new, darker silver variant.
