Tesla Giga Berlin to build “completely new battery,” Economic Minister says

Tesla Giga Berlin’s future battery production facility will manufacture a “completely new battery,” according to Brandenburg’s Minister of Economics Jörg Steinbach.

Batteries are one of the core components of electric vehicles, and without them, producing sustainable transportation is nearly impossible. Tesla has worked diligently over the past years to increase the availability of battery cells, which has not only driven down the price of the company’s vehicles, but it has also increased demand.

Tesla is planning to build a battery manufacturing line at its new German plant, but there is no timetable on when it will happen. Currently, the company’s contracted construction crews are working to build the drive unit facility and paint shop. Walls and columns for these two buildings were put up earlier today, July 27.

However, in an interview with German media outlet rbb24, Steinbach stated that there is a “completely new technology” that will be smaller than previously manufactured cells but will also hold higher energy density.

This means that the company’s vehicles will be able to travel further due to increased range. Tesla has made long-range electric vehicles one of its primary focuses, and it is willing to scrap projects if sufficient travel range is not attainable with specific vehicle models.

The company recently slashed the idea that it would produce a Standard Range RWD Model Y crossover because the vehicle would hold less than 250 miles when fully charged.

Steinbach also said that the battery facility would be included in Tesla’s second phase of the Giga Berlin construction project. The core pieces of the site, like the vehicle production lines and paint shop, will be completed first. Tesla plans to begin manufacturing the Model Y crossover at the site first, starting July 2021.

Tesla could outline the details of the Giga Berlin battery manufacturing site at the Battery Day event it has planned for September 22.

During the company’s Q2 2020 Earnings Call, CEO Elon Musk and Vice President of Powertrain and Energy Engineering Drew Baglino stated that there would be localized battery manufacturing at Giga Berlin. Still, the two Tesla executives could not elaborate on the more delicate portions of the project.

The challenge lies within the company’s ability to hire a team of qualified battery engineers. Musk has been adamant in the past about his distaste for intelligent people who believe their only options are to become involved in medicine or law. Manufacturing projects need to be developed, and Musk is looking for people who would be interested in revolutionizing automotive and battery manufacturing.

” I just want to be clear, at Tesla, we love manufacturing. It’s awesome, and I really think more smart people should be working on manufacturing,” Musk said.

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