A new report suggests Tesla Model 3s will begin to be offered with a battery capable of lasting one million miles.

Tesla will reportedly introduce a new battery either later this year or early 2021 which will be capable of lasting one million miles (1.6 million kilometres) and cost even less to produce.

The new technology, Reuters reports, has been developed by Tesla’s special battery development research organisation focusing on delivering a low-cost, long-life battery pack. The aim is to produce a battery with a production cost under USD $100 per kWh, though it’s not clear if this new battery tech will achieve that goal.

Tesla Model 3 vehicles fitted with the new long-life battery are reported to begin production late this year at the carmaker’s new China production facility. The batteries will be produced by China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) battery manufacturer, especially for the cars. The new models are said to be offered in markets around the world.

Making the most of the new batteries will be a vehicle-to-grid system, reportedly, which is currently only available in Australia in the new second-generation Nissan Leaf and MY2020 Mitsubishi Outlaner PHEV. Tesla has not before offered V2G. Reuters goes on to suggest that Tesla wants to future proof its long-life batteries by offering second-life power generation systems, somewhat similar to the Tesla Powerwall installed in South Australia three years ago. The report even cites a source as saying “Tesla’s goal is to achieve the status of a power company,” supported by moves it has also made in Europe according to another report.

These are big claims, and not everything stacks up, we think. Tesla has previously said it believes second-life battery recycling is an inefficient way to reuse battery elements, preferring to reuse some parts to build new batteries instead.

However, Tesla has invested considerable money into developing new battery technology to further differentiate its offering, chasing a battery pack that can be cheap yet offer long-range. The new long-life battery tech is said to be confirmed soon by Tesla at its upcoming ‘Battery Day’ event this month.

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