Tesla would have taken the plunge and switched to cobalt-free batteries with the Model 3 produced in China. It had been in the air for consideration for some time, but Reuters understood the bullet is through the church.
Cobalt is a precious and not entirely controversial raw material that is used worldwide in batteries for electric cars. Tesla wants to abandon this and would therefore study lithium iron phosphate batteries as an alternative. This was already announced at the beginning of this year, with the caveat that it was only a consideration. Now, according to insiders, we can expect official confirmation this week, reports Reuters.
The switch to LFP batteries is planned for the Model 3 built in China. That is in line with the reports at the beginning of this year. Chinese battery manufacturer CATL has experience with LFP batteries and is reportedly going to develop and manufacture them for Tesla. A pain point of LFP batteries has always been the lower energy density, but something has now possibly been found. It would give Tesla another important first.
Both Tesla and CATL do not yet respond to this already fairly concrete news, but the insiders – who wish to remain anonymous – state that they will already be released with the news on Thursday. Initially, the Standard Range version of the Model 3 would make the switch. Who knows, more versions will eventually follow and it will also change for Teslas that are built elsewhere in the world.