“What if we double the range of electric cars?” Asks the cleantech start-up “Our Next Energy” – and just do it. The Detroit-based company has replaced the battery in a Tesla Model S with its own technology and achieved a range of 1,210 kilometers on the road. There were even more on the test bench!
The converted Tesla drove at an average speed of 88 km / h in real traffic. An independent test team then achieved the same speed on a roller dynamometer and achieved 1,419 kilometers. The start-up’s Gemini 001 battery prototype, in which BMW and Bill Gates, among others, have invested money, is a kind of hybrid battery. This combines a cell-to-pack battery with cobalt and nickel-free cathodes with a second, high-energy pack that can recharge the first system like a range extender. The company does not reveal any details: The One Gemini 001 can produce 203.7 kilowatt hours with an energy density of 416 watt hours per liter. It replaces 1: 1 the standard battery of the Tesla, whose capacity is only 103.9 kWh. The installation space is the same, the weight is not given. “Want to eliminate fear of range” “We want to accelerate the introduction of electric vehicles by eliminating the fear of range that holds most consumers back today,” says One founder Mujeeb Ijaz. “We are now concentrating on further developing this proof-of-concept battery into a product that enables long-distance journeys without recharging, with lower costs and increased safety using sustainable materials.” However, he is not primarily concerned with actually covering such great distances says the former Apple senior director. Rather, he wants to solve the problem that today’s electric cars do not achieve acceptable ranges in cold weather, mountainous terrain or with a trailer. The series battery is to be presented in 2023.
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