[credit_guy]

It's not only the range that matters though. These batteries have a lot of cobalt, and Tesla is moving away from that. Moreover, we don't know how fast they charge, how many cycles they can be used, if they can be used in cold climates, how fire-prone they are, and maybe 10 other things that Tesla needs to consider for their production batteries.

But yes, if all those other things are decent enough, Tesla obviously has the money to acquire this startup.

[danans]

> These batteries have a lot of cobalt

Not according to the article:

"In practice, that means lithium iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry, which historically has energy density 30 percent lower than cobalt- or nickel-based chemistries (and, unfortunately, reportedly cold-weather issues). Its first product, Aries, will go into production late this year. It's a battery using prismatic LFP cells in a structural cell-to-pack architecture without separate modules, packing more cells into the pack to lower the energy disadvantage against cobalt cells."

[reportingsjr]

That statement is about the other battery mentioned on their website, the "aries". The "gemini" which is what is in the linked article is a combination LFP and NMC. NMC batteries are the ones with large amounts of cobalt.

[danans]

Now I see it:

> "The cathode will be made of a proprietary material rich in manganese that ONE says can be sustainably sourced at low cost. (The company has so far applied for 14 patents related to the Gemini pack.) The LFP cells cover 99 percent of the vehicle’s duty cycle, Ijaz told C/D, and the range extender is used for just 1 percent.

> As a proof of concept, however, the prototype pack used in the demonstration was powered by different cells. The capacity of more than 200 kilowatt-hours was provided by high-energy cobalt-nickel cells, while those intended for the Gemini line are still under development."

So this was just an energy density demonstration. It does sound like they plan to use LFP cells, not cobalt-nickel, for the production batteries.

[notjulianjaynes]

As I understand it, LFP cells have a lower energy density compared to cobalt. Is this company claiming they can build a 200kwh LFP battery that takes up the same amount of space as a stock model S battery?

[danans]

That's their goal as I understand from this paragraph:

> "The company dubs its prototype a proof of concept. The point is to show that real-world ranges far longer than an average driver's endurance (pit stops, ahem) can be achieved in the near future. The next step is for it to evolve into a new battery called Gemini, intended to go into production after 2023."

They don't say whether it is LFP based though.

[tssva]

They just completed a significant distance test in Michigan during December so I'm guessing they operate ok in cold weather.