Tesla's Latest Battery Breakthrough Will Change The Battery Game

Responding to reader comments regarding Tesla and electric vehicle batteries, this report highlights the questions and considerations surrounding this new discovery, including the potential impact on battery technology and the feasibility of upgradeable battery packs. However, it's important to note that Tesla has already carried out studies on swappable batteries and decided against it, so this might not be a possibility in the near future.

Yesterday there was a groundbreaking battery revelation, which was funded by Tesla. What happened was that a potentially crucial reason behind lithium-ion batteries’ tendency to self-discharge has seemingly been discovered by researchers at the Tesla-funded battery research center at Dalhousie University. What’s quite remarkable was that the group’s findings were amazingly simple yet potentially profound. I reported this yesterday and many of you had great comments. I want to make this special report responding to your comments because the points that you guys raised are very interesting and important. So I thought it’s important to start new format of reports, in which I will highlight some of your comments.

Pete writes: Armen, this should theoretically increase the life expectancy of the batteries because they are not cycling as much. This adds unnecessary wear and tear especially since Lithium ion doesn’t like sitting at zero state of charge. Thanks for the great information.

You're welcome Pete! I'm glad I could provide helpful information about Tesla and electric vehicle battery's self-discharge finding. It's always important to take proper care of batteries to ensure their longevity and efficiency.

Dean McManis writes: Good report Armen. Maybe it is too early to know (seeing that it is a new discovery) but hearing about this PET tape issue, I immediately wondered what their planned solution was for the discharge problem. How quickly was the drain, and how much reduction could be achieved using other (inexpensive) materials that do the same job without the same discharge problem. Importantly, how quickly and easily can a fix be adapted to today's batteries?

Thanks for your positive feedback Dean. Yes, it is indeed early to know the full extent of the impact of this PET tape issue, but it's great to see that you are already thinking about potential solutions. The rate of discharge and the potential reduction that could be achieved with alternative materials are important questions to consider. Additionally, the ease and speed of adaptation to current batteries are crucial factors in determining the feasibility of a fix. These are all valid points to consider as the research on this issue continues.

Brian Reedy says: Great news Armen! This shows the importance of research, however expensive and time consuming it might be, because new knowledge changes things. I love seeing your yard in the background. It looks as if Spring has come to your part of the world. In northern Sweden where I live we have about a meter of snow, depending on where you look. Spring will come to us in May.

Thanks for your kind words, Ryan! I agree, research is extremely important and can lead to breakthrough discoveries and advancements. It's great to see that you appreciate the value of this work. Regarding the yard in the background, yes, spring has indeed arrived and it's a wonderful time of year! I hope that spring will come soon to northern Sweden as well. I can imagine how beautiful the snow-covered landscapes must be. May is just around the corner, so I'm sure that you'll be able to enjoy the arrival of spring soon enough.

Mark Overton writes: Fact hunting at its best Armen. It’s another innovation driven by Tesla’s constant drive to improve, can see many benefits coming with this research, it will be interesting to find if this will slow down dendrites forming.

Thank you, Mark! I'm glad you found the information well presented and to the point. Tesla's constant drive for innovation is indeed impressive and it's great to see the benefits that can come from this kind of research. Your question about the potential impact on dendrites forming is a great one and I'm sure that this will be an important area of study in the coming months and years. It will be interesting to see the results and how they may further improve battery technology.

Brian K writes that swappable/upgradeable Tesla battery packs would be nice, especially as battery technology improves.

Thanks for your input, Brian. I completely agree with you. Swappable or upgradeable Tesla battery packs would be a convenient solution for many customers, especially as battery technology continues to improve. It would allow people to upgrade their batteries and keep their vehicles up-to-date with the latest technology, without having to purchase a new vehicle altogether. I hope that this is something that Tesla will consider in the future.

Regarding Tesla using swappable batteries, Pete Giatrakis writes that Many after market companies are cropping up all over the world offering to swap out batteries or add packs and your absolutely right as battery technology gets better SO will the old cars IF they get updated. It’s going to be a great new future for EVs. Cheers.

Thanks for your input, Brian. I completely agree with you. Swappable or upgradeable Tesla battery packs would be a convenient solution for many customers, especially as battery technology continues to improve. It would allow people to upgrade their batteries and keep their vehicles up-to-date with the latest technology, without having to purchase a new vehicle altogether. I hope that this is something that Tesla will consider in the future.

To this point Pedro reminded me that Tesla already carried out studies on swappable batteries and decided against it. So don’t expect this to happen anytime soon.

Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebok, Linkedin and Youtube.