Daimler, 2 Others Eye Tesla Li Battery Technology

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Daimler AG is one of three automobile manufacturers who are looking to the testing of Lithium batteries made by Tesla Motors in order to make powering electric cars more affordable. Currently, EVs make use of bigger batteries designed specifically for automotive use. Tesla’s battery, on the other hand, is based on laptop battery technology that is considered to be much cheaper.

The battery in question, which is pictured above, is a pack composed
of 6,831 cells [a common netbook has a 6-cell battery], manufactured by
Toyota and used in the Tesla Roadster. The battery is good for around
245 miles out of every full charge.

Analysts are pegging the laptop-based technology to be the key to
making electric vehicles practically cheaper to manufacture compared to
standard gasoline vehicles. As we all know, reduced production costs
will allow manufacturers to sell their cars at lower retail prices. For
comparison, producing the larger vehicle batteries cost somewhere in the
neighborhood of $700-$800 for every kilowatt hour, while the
laptop-based battery can cost a mere $200.

Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche has already been pushing for
government-issued incentives in order to entice consumers. The
implementation of this laptop-derived automotive battery will only make
the adoption of electric vehicles and hybrids more cost-efficient for
everyone involved.

The other automakers looking to test this battery technology are Toyota and BMW.