When a Tesla Model S electric vehicle made an appearance at AV俱乐部 yesterday, its near silent engine sound and sleek design prompted a symphony of 鈥渙hs and ahs鈥� from impressed onlookers. But it was a brand new partnership between Tesla Motors and AV俱乐部 that got members of the AV俱乐部 research community really excited.聽
On Tuesday morning Tesla Motor鈥檚 Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel signed a research agreement with AV俱乐部鈥檚 Jeff Dahn, lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery researcher with the Faculty of Science and his group of students, postdoctoral researchers and technical staff.聽 The work is set to begin in June of 2016.聽
During a presentation to AV俱乐部 researchers and representatives, Straubel discussed the importance of the Li-ion battery to the future of Tesla Motors and the recently announced battery business Tesla Energy, a suite of batteries for homes, businesses, and utilities. The Silicon Valley giant is not just an automotive company, it鈥檚 an energy innovation company.
鈥淎V俱乐部 is a national and international leader in advanced materials and clean technology research,鈥� says Martha Crago, Vice-President, Research at AV俱乐部. 鈥淛eff Dahn is helping to develop Li-ion batteries with improved lifetime, increased energy density and lower cost. This collaboration is a natural fit.鈥�
Creating a force with electric cars
Consider the state of the art Li-ion battery that powers the Model S, which can accelerate to 100 km/h in under five seconds, and the electric car鈥檚 impressive engineering and design innovation really sinks in.聽
Tesla Motors isn鈥檛 shy about its mission to accelerate the transition to sustainable transportation around the world. To do so, it plans to expand beyond a niche market and produce hundreds of thousands of cars a year and change the entire automotive industry.聽
To drive this change, Tesla is building a Gigafactory in Nevada that aims to double world production of Li-ion batteries by 2020. In an effort to bring down the price of Tesla vehicles for the mass market, Tesla will manufacture Li-ion batteries with longer lifespans that cost less to create and be sourced with more materials from North America.
When Dahn learned of Tesla鈥檚 planned Gigafactory, he wanted in.聽
鈥淚 had to be a part of it,鈥� says Dahn. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the next step.鈥�
Currently, 3M Canada and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) fund Dahn鈥檚 Industrial Research Chair in Materials for Advanced Batteries. The agreement, long-standing since 1996, is set to end in June 2016.
鈥淚鈥檓 so thankful for 3M Canada and NSERC鈥檚 support over the years. We鈥檝e had many successes together that have created products for 3M, which are key milestones in my career and in my students鈥� careers,鈥� says Dahn. He references the development of the nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) positive electrode material鈥攏ow used in the vast majority of electric vehicles and power tools around the world鈥攁s the most notable success of the partnership.聽
Sustainable power
The new collaboration, a first between the leading American electric vehicle company and a Canadian university, will bring together the teams of Dahn and Tesla鈥檚 Director of Battery Technology, Kurt Kelty.聽 Both teams are committed to powering as much as possible with Li-ion batteries that pack a mean punch in the fight against climate change.聽
Dahn, recognized as one of the pioneering developers of the Li-ion battery, explains that increasing the energy density of batteries through improved materials is the best way to achieve lower cost. 聽
鈥淥ur research group鈥檚 goal is to increase the energy density and lifetime of Li-ion batteries, so we can drive down costs in automotive and grid energy storage applications,鈥� says Dahn.聽
Charging onward
Jeff Dahn has 25 researchers in his lab, including graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and technical staff.聽 All of them will be involved in the partnership. As the next generation of battery researchers, they get invaluable exposure to a leading industry partner committed to the worldwide benefits of electrifying the world through innovative batteries.
For now, Dahn continues to work with 3M Canada until their current research agreement ends in June 2016. Then, Dahn and his research group will begin their exclusive five-year partnership with Tesla.
