The other day, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China (MIIT) a new catalog of recommended EV models, which now includes a cobalt-free battery version of the Tesla Model 3. It is cheaper, safer, allows you to do without "blood minerals", but increases the weight of the battery and equipped vehicle.
In China, deliveries of the cobalt-free version of the Tesla Model 3 are expected to begin from mid-July to August. battery supplier, , will be the Chinese company Modern Amperex Technology, known worldwide as CATL. Tesla Model 3 curb weight with cobalt-free batteries 1745 kg, while the weight of the same model on LG Chem NCM811 nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries is 1614 kg.
The main criticism of batteries using cobalt is that child labor is used to extract it from mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where cobalt is predominantly mined. Also keep in mind that cobalt is limited on Earth and supplies can be difficult. Therefore, the industry is forced to look for an alternative to cobalt, although the density of stored energy in batteries without cobalt is lower. To achieve parity with NCM batteries, cobalt-free batteries have to be made larger and heavier, and this is a direct way to reduce the range.
Typically, cobalt-free batteries in the form of Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries are used in buses and commercial vehicles, while batteries made with nickel, cobalt and manganese are used in passenger vehicles. Tesla can be expected to make the battery heavier the only sacrifice the company has to make, and the range of the model will not decrease. However, cobalt-free battery models can be offered at better prices. Let's wait for the start of sales.
Source: 3dnews.ru