How This ONE Tesla Model S Claims 700 Mile Range With New Battery

Our Next Energy, also known as ONE, have created a revolutionary battery called Gemini, producing over 700 miles of EV range for a Tesla Model S.

The range of electric cars has been a talking point for a long time. Range anxiety is still a big factor in what EV people buy, even as the range of battery technology continues to improve. However, company One Next Energy (ONE) is attempting to make that a thing of the past as reported by Motor Trend. One Next Energy have taken a Tesla Model S P100, and swapped out its regular NMC-based lithium batteries for their very own experimental lithium iron phosphate batteries (LFP).

With this new battery chemistry, ONE claims a 700-mile range with the Model S. Without needing a recharge, which would be truly game changing if it were to become available to the market. Any anxiety over range would simply become a thing of the past.

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The battery pack within the Tesla is Gemini, and the production version of the battery utilize a "dual chemistry" battery pack. Within this, the primary traction cells are LFP, and then joined together with anode-free battery cells with a DC to DC converter. The anode free term references the active material placed onto the battery's current collector as it is manufactured. Typically, this is made from either graphite or silicon. ONE don't do this and the anode instead is created during the formation of the battery. With small amounts of lithium plate on the current collector.

This creates a 185-kWh battery pack, and an efficiency of 450 watt-hour per L, the volumetric energy density of the battery. ONE say this allows a vehicle of Tesla Model S size to have incredible range of at least 600+ miles of range on a single charge. This is achieved with 20 percent less lithium, 60 percent less graphite, 75 percent less nickel and no cobalt whatsoever. A dramatic change from what more conventional batteries have used. And the experimental Gemini version is what led to the Model S being able to run for 700 miles.

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The ONE battery effectively doubled the range of the Model S P100, and the car underwent its incredible 700+ mile trip in 2022. The car went on a road trip from Michigan and back, traveling via Highways and averaging around 55 mph. The car went through Detroit on I-96, joined up on State 52 and also would merge onto I-75 around Pere Cheney. The Model S also crossed the Mackinac Bridge, traveled through Gaylord close to Bay City and through Saginaw and Flint. All before it arrived back at their Novi headquarters.

Remarkably, the entire 752-mile trip was complete on just one charge of the Gemini battery. There was roughly a 20 kW rate of discharge over the course of the trip, and with the drive taking place in cold weather around 32 degrees. That makes it even more impressive due to the different behaviors of EVs in winter. However, the company wanted to verify the results further. After the trip, the Tesla was charged back up and then taken to a third party dyno facility. Here, went through a full driving cycle, with a 20 percent urban dynamometer driving schedule, as well as a highway fuel economy test with 80 percent of the driving at 55 mph.

The Tesla went through roughly the same WH per mile consumption as it had in the real world, while the test run on the dyno saw the car achieve 882 miles of range. That was only a 17 percent difference over what they had in the real world, and it further showed the potential of their battery. Capacity for the battery has doubled from standard. With the P100 capacity roughly 103.9 kWh while ONE have increased that to 203.7 kWh, all without adding too much extra weight.

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The battery is closer to production now than it was in 2022, and the hope is that later this year the company will have a production sample ready to go. All being well, the Gemini battery will be ready to enter production by 2026. Even though ONE has not yet released exact costing figures, they expect it to be roughly in the same region as a current nickel-cobalt lithium battery. That is something to get excited about, as is the fact it uses no cobalt in its chemistry.

Mining for cobalt is one area in which EV detractors point to as a big problem, and for good reason. Mining of cobalt is linked to human rights abuses and slavery in the Congo, and the exploitation of workers. So eliminating that from the chain of production is a very big deal. With global demand for cobalt so high now, the issue would only get worse in the years to come. What ONE are showing though is that recycling techniques will allow materials such as lithium to be extracted from older batteries. Which will reduce the need to mine for any new deposits.

ONE are committed to driving costs down as much as possible. With a proprietary range-extender cell also under development, removing the graphite materials you would find in conventional anodes. The company itself has come a long way since that road trip in 2022 with the Tesla. OEMs now showing serious interest in what they have manage to do. The ability to push a normal, production car to over 600 miles of range is historic in itself. And it could be game changing for the automotive industry as it transitions to full electric.

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As consumers, extra range is always going to be a good thing. Range anxiety is still a problem for many even if EVs are pushing up to 400 miles of range. A lot of this due to the lack of major charging infrastructure across the world, with many countries still way behind the curve. This is despite more and more EVs coming to the market. The prospect of running out of range with no charger in sight is something that still worries owners of EVs. Even if they are at the top end of the range spectrum.

Any extra range to an EV is good news, and 600 miles would almost wipe out range anxiety in one fell swoop. Owners could use their car for days without needing to worry about recharging, and longer trips become much less daunting. If this is achieved without an increase in production costs, even a decrease in them, it might just make electric cars more affordable in the long run. However, where current battery technology stands, Ford has stated it will not develop EVs with over 600 miles of range citing that it will make them unaffordable to the consumer.

The work that ONE have carried out with their Tesla is crucial to the future of electric propulsion. It will put range questions to bed once and for all, and may lead to a more humane and recourse effective way of creating new batteries. All while potentially keeping costs at a lower level than before.

Source: Motor Trend

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