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Musk Touts Best-in-Class EV Battery Density

Tesla Motors Inc. CEO Elon Musk claims the next-generation lithium-ion cells the company will produce with partner Panasonic Corp. at their Gigafactory in Nevada will have the highest energy density of any electric vehicle battery.
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Tesla Motors Inc. CEO Elon Musk claims the next-generation lithium-ion cells the company will produce with partner Panasonic Corp. at their Gigafactory in Nevada will have the highest energy density of any electric vehicle battery.

Musk made the assertion this week during a conference call with analysts. He also boasted about cost improvements for the battery but didn’t provide any technical specs or pricing information.

Tesla’s current 18-65 (18 mm in diameter and 65 mm long) battery cells are rated at about 250 Wh/kg. Media reports estimate the batteries cost $100 to $150 per KWh, depending on the size of a vehicle’s battery pack.

Production of the new 21-70 (21 mm by 70 mm) cells are expected to begin later this year. The cells will be used in battery packs for Tesla’s Model S and Model X vehicles and the upcoming Model 3 electric sedan.

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