What is the new Tesla LFP battery all about? And what is the Tesla battery life?
Since electric cars conquered the market, the most important part of a car is no longer called the "engine", but the "battery". The energy storage system accounts for a large proportion of the overall vehicle price and determines weight, range and performance - in short, competitiveness.
Therefore a lot of money and capacity goes into battery research, but the exact details of a battery pack are often kept strictly confidential. However, some information is of course known, and we would like to present it to you here.
In this article, we find out which batteries the US car manufacturer uses and what the differences are.
LFP Tesla battery: Batteries are Asian
Battery mass production is an enormously complex undertaking that only a few manufacturers in the world, most of them in Asia, have mastered. This is why even Tesla sources such an important part as the battery for most of its vehicles from the Far East.
The American manufacturer is being supplied by the big names in the business: Panasonic, which already supplied the battery cells for the original Roadster, LG Chem and CATL are equipping the US car manufacturer with various batteries.
In recent years, Tesla has been trying to set up its own battery production in American gigafactories and, in the long term, in Grünheide, but this is only progressing slowly. In view of the strong growth of the Tesla brand, the company will be dependent on Asian specialists for many years to come.
Tesla battery life: it all depends on the chemistry
Tesla uses three different cell chemistry solutions in its vehicles: NCA, NMC and LFP. They are all lithium-ion batteries - the industry has not yet found a viable alternative - but with different chemical properties. The chemistry determines key properties of the vehicle and the service life of the battery, and of course each has its advantages and disadvantages.
NCA-Batterie Tesla
The "oldest" battery chemistry Tesla has used since the Roadster is the NCA battery. NCA stands for nickel-cobalt-aluminum, which describes the chemical composition of the battery. Tesla NCA cells have a high energy density of 322 Wh/kg and a high power output. Accordingly, they are predestined for long-range and performance models.
The disadvantages of NCA technology are the use of expensive cobalt extracted under questionable conditions and a comparatively high risk of explosion in the event of severe damage. In addition, NCA cells should always be charged between 20 and 90 % in order to achieve the longest possible service life.
This is approx. 3000 charging cycles, whereby then often only approx. 70 % of the original capacity is available. However, if you assume a very conservative range of 200 kilometers per charging cycle, which is realistic even at 70% capacity, you still get a total service life of 600.000 kilometers. Of course, the less often you charge at the Supercharger or other fast chargers, the sooner this is achieved.
NMC battery Tesla
The second technology used by Tesla is NMC, which stands for nickel-manganese-cobalt. This technology shares many characteristics with the NCA cell, although the energy density (230-250 Wh/kg) and service life (2000 cycles) are lower.
The NMC cell also uses cobalt, but has the advantage that its content can be greatly reduced by adding aluminum (NCMA cell). Tesla has also been using this variant since 2021.
LFP battery Tesla
The LFP battery (lithium iron phosphate) can do without cobalt entirely. The compromise: a significantly lower energy density (currently 130 to a maximum of 190 Wh/kg), a weaker power output and poorer performance at low temperatures than the technologies mentioned above.
For this reason, it was not possible to use them in electric cars for a long time. However, improvements in battery, software and motor efficiency have allowed the installation of LFP batteries in entry-level models with a short range since 2020. This also has many advantages: LFP batteries are cheaper, have a lower risk of explosion if damaged and last much longer.
The LFP battery Tesla service life is up to 10 years, depending on the specification.000 charging cycles. Tesla LFP batteries are also easier to charge, as they can be charged to 100 % continuously without hesitation. Here is our "Charging the Tesla LFP battery correctly" guide.
Tesla battery: the format
Not only in cell chemistry, but also in the cell format Tesla uses different solutions - four to be precise. It starts with the 1865 cell (13 millimeters in diameter, 65 millimeters high), which Panasonic supplies with NCA chemistry.
Also important is the 2170 cell (same meaning of the numbers), which Panasonic manufactures in the USA together with Tesla with NCA chemistry, but which LG Chem also supplies with NCM(A) chemistry.
Tesla has also been developing its own 4680-format cell and NCM chemistry for several years, and production is slowly ramping up. The 4680 batteries are installed directly in the body, which Tesla calls a "structural battery pack". The LFP cells purchased from CATL are the only ones that are not cylindrical, but have a prismatic format.
What's inside where
Now for the exciting question: Which battery is installed in which Tesla model?
Tesla Model 3 LFP battery in the basic version
At market launch, all versions of the Model 3 were available with 2170 cells, which the Long Range and Performance versions still rely on today. Since 2020, however, Tesla has been installing the LFP battery in the basic version, which further increases the already good Tesla Model 3 battery life for the entry-level variant.
However, those who have had experience with the Tesla Model 3 LFP battery often report that it is difficult to charge the battery to 100%. Calibrating the Tesla Model 3 LFP battery, i.e. charging it very slowly until it is really full, can help here.
Also with the Tesla Model Y LFP battery in the basic version
As with the Model 3, LFP cells are also installed in the entry-level version of the Model Y, which is also good for the average Tesla Model Y battery life. By the way: You can also increase the service life of your Tesla with suitable protective accessories from Teslabs - it's worth it!
The remaining variants of the Model Y rely on the 2170 cells, although the models from the Gigafactory Texas are already equipped with the new 4680 cells. In the future, this will also happen with the German Model Y from Grünheide.
Tesla Model S/X: tried and tested technology
The first Model S, which rolled off the production line in 2012, already had the 1865 cells with NCA chemistry installed. When the Model X was launched, it was also fitted with these batteries. Even today, the electric car manufacturer still relies on tried-and-tested technology in its flagship models, which is hardly surprising.
After all, the NCA technology currently delivers by far the best performance in terms of range and power, and the expensive Cobalt definitely pays for itself due to the high sales prices of the luxury cars.
What experiences have you had with Tesla batteries? Write it in the comments below.
Source contribution image: Sung Wang via Unsplash
4 comments
Peter
Guten Tag, Ich habe am 19.02.2024 Tesla Model Y Maximale Reichweite Allradantrieb.Gekauft. Welche AKKU hat er? LFP oder MNC??
Schönen Tag wünsche noch.
Guten Tag, Ich habe am 19.02.2024 Tesla Model Y Maximale Reichweite Allradantrieb.Gekauft. Welche AKKU hat er? LFP oder MNC??
Schönen Tag wünsche noch.
T.POObalasingam
Guten Tag, Ich habe am 22.11.2024 Tesla Model Y Maximale Reichweite Hinterradantrieb.Gekauft. Welche AKKU hat er? LFP oder MNC??
Schönen Tag noch.
Guten Tag, Ich habe am 22.11.2024 Tesla Model Y Maximale Reichweite Hinterradantrieb.Gekauft. Welche AKKU hat er? LFP oder MNC??
Schönen Tag noch.
Meier René
Hallo Wolfgang, das System sagt dir beim Laden, dass du wöchtlich mindestens 1x auf 100% laden solltest. Dies allerdings nur, wenn du z.B. laden auf 80% eingestellt hast. Gruss René
Hallo Wolfgang, das System sagt dir beim Laden, dass du wöchtlich mindestens 1x auf 100% laden solltest. Dies allerdings nur, wenn du z.B. laden auf 80% eingestellt hast. Gruss René
Wolfgang Sutter
Hallo,
ich besitze ein Tesla Modell 3, ID: LRW3E7FA0MC350379, Bj. Sept.2021 mit der 55 kW-Batterie. Es soll sich um eine LFP-Batterie handeln. Ich kann jedoch weder aus dem Kfz-Schein noch aus dem Konformitätszertifikat entnehmen, ob es sich tatsächlich um ein LFP-Batterie handelt. Wie kann ich das definitiv feststellen?
Danke, Gruß,
Sutter
Hallo,
ich besitze ein Tesla Modell 3, ID: LRW3E7FA0MC350379, Bj. Sept.2021 mit der 55 kW-Batterie. Es soll sich um eine LFP-Batterie handeln. Ich kann jedoch weder aus dem Kfz-Schein noch aus dem Konformitätszertifikat entnehmen, ob es sich tatsächlich um ein LFP-Batterie handelt. Wie kann ich das definitiv feststellen?
Danke, Gruß,
Sutter