Tesla weighs smaller batteries for its India car

Elon Musk-led Tesla is exploring fast-charging small batteries to cut the cost of its proposed most affordable car to help crack the price-sensitive Indian market, people aware of the matter said. Such batteries are already in use in China, and Tesla conveyed to the Indian government that it could look at bringing the technology for its cars in India. However, a wide public network of fast chargers would be crucial for Tesla to convince customers to buy vehicles with a smaller battery and, thus, lower range per charge.

In a recent interaction with the government, the company’s executives requested help in developing such a network, the people cited above said. It has also sought support in the making of the batteries. Tesla did not respond to ’s request for comment.

Batteries comprise the biggest chunk of an electric vehicle’s (EV) bill of materials, and strapping a smaller battery on a car would be crucial for Tesla to realise a $24,000 (around 20 lakh) electric car, which it is reportedly conceptualizing for sale in India and other developing markets. For context, the company’s most affordable car today, the base variant Model 3, starts at around $40,000 ( 33 lakh). It comes with a 57.

5-kilowatt-hour battery, which gives it a range of around 435km . The concept of fast-charging small batteries revolves around getting customers used to frequently charging their vehicles on public fast chargers, like refuelling conventional vehicles, rather than equipping vehicles with bulky and expensive batteries. “Customers rarely use the entire range on their electric vehicles.

For everyday use, EVs with a smaller battery make more sense. And when longer range is needed, they can use fast chargers,” said an auto industry analyst who asked not to be identified. Currently, India’s charging infrastructure is inadequate for such a plan to work.

There are around 9,300 public chargers in India at present, as per data compiled by car search platform CarDekho. This compares to over 138,000 in the US, as per Statista. Moreover, most of the public chargers in India charge vehicles at a relatively slow pace, making them unsuitable for quick pit stops.

“The lack of a developed charging infrastructure is a bottleneck for electric mobility in India,” said Gaurav Vangaal, principal analyst for light vehicle production forecasting for the Indian subcontinent at S&P Global. “For masses to move towards electric vehicles, we need a wider public charging network with fast charging capabilities that eliminates the need for large batteries. ” To be sure, fast charging technology is already available in India.

There are some public fast chargers capable of replenishing a regular Tata Nexon EV, the most popular electric car in India, from 20% battery level to 80% in under an hour, compared to the several hours that home charging entails. This translates to adding 180-200km range in an hour of charging. In comparison, Tesla’s existing fast chargers claim to give more than 230km range in just 15 minutes.

The American EV company is reportedly exploring even faster charging technologies that can give significant driving range in a few minutes and further cut down the required battery size. It has in the past engaged with Israeli startup StoreDot to examine its extreme fast charging (XFC) battery technology, USA Today reported in June. Indian officials have engaged with Tesla executives several times in recent weeks as discussions on the electric carmaker’s India entry progress.

Work on the company’s India plans gathered steam after Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter’s US visit in June. The company is reportedly willing to invest up to $2 billion for setting up a factory in India if New Delhi gives it a concessional duty rate of 15% on imported cars for the first two years of its operations, compared to 70-100% at present. .