Breaking a long silence on Tesla's upcoming 2170 battery, CEO Elon Musk boasted in a conference call on Tuesday that not only would it be the world's best cell, but the cheapest, too, according to Electrek.
All eyes are on the new battery as it aims to be the power behind the Tesla Energy products that the company unveiled last week. The battery cells will be produced with Tesla's at the Gigafactory in Nevada with its manufacturing partner Panasonic before 2016 comes to a close.
Tesla and Panasonic are also working together on a solar cell that will be produced in SolarCity's Buffalo plant, which has an expected output of 1 gigawatt per year. Musk made similarly bold claims about the solar cell, calling it the "most efficient" and "cheapest" in the globe.
Near the end of the call, Musk explained that "best" battery cell referred to the new battery's energy density, which would be unparalleled around the world.
Tesla now uses 18650 battery cells, which were also developed together with Panasonic, in its Model X and Model S vehicles. This current cell, also called 18-650, is 18 millimeters (mm) in diameter and 65 mm long.
Meanwhile, the 18650 battery cells' energy density in Tesla's electric cars is about 250 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg). In April this year, Tesla's Vice President of Investor Relations Jeff Evanson announced that it cost under $190 per kWh in its Model S.
2170 is expected to be 21 mm in diameter and 70 mm in length. Musk did not elaborate on the approximate cost of the new 2170 battery cells, but Tesla has reported that it hopes to lower the battery costs by at least 30%.
He was also unable to provide details on which vehicles would pilot the new batteries, but it is expected to appear in Tesla's Model 3 and in likely upgraded versions of its Model S and X.
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