Startup wants to have doubled the range of the Tesla Model S.

Tesla models are still among the front runners in terms of range. However, manufacturers around the world are ambitious to noticeably increase the range of electric cars. Tesla is also always trying to improve its batteries. The young startup “Our Next Energy (ONE)” from Michigan has now succeeded in doing just that: According to its own statements, it has covered 752 miles – the equivalent of around 1210 kilometers – with a Tesla Model S. For this purpose, ONE installed a specially developed battery with a capacity of a good 200 kWh in the vehicle, which corresponds to about twice the actual battery capacity of the Model S. As a result, the range of the vehicle is said to have doubled. For comparison: Tesla gives an estimated maximum range of 652 kilometers.

ONE drove through the state of Michigan on a test drive in December at an average speed of 55 miles per hour (about 90 km / h). On a vehicle test bench carried out by third parties, the beefed up Tesla model is said to have reached 882 miles (almost 1,420 kilometers) at a speed of 55 miles per hour.

“An electric vehicle can now store enough energy to meet the range requirements of all consumers,” said ONE. Mujeeb Ijaz, founder and CEO of the company, says, “We want to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles by eliminating the range fear that still holds most consumers back today.”

Finally, Ijaz announced the development of a new battery with the name “GeminiTM”, which, with the help of twice the amount of energy with the same battery size, enables long-distance journeys with a single charge and at the same time uses sustainable materials. Accordingly, the startup wants to do without nickel and cobalt – but not the energy density. “We want to reinvent both battery chemistry and cell architecture,” said Ijaz.

Not just at Tesla: the range of electric cars is increasing significantly

The Model S is the Tesla vehicle with the longest range in the fleet of the US car manufacturer under CEO Elon Musk. In comparison, the BMW i4 achieves a maximum range of 590 kilometers according to the WLTP, the Ford Mustang Mach-E has a maximum range of 610 kilometers according to the WLTP and the Mercedes EQS achieves a maximum range of 784 kilometers according to the WLTP. The Air model from the electric car manufacturer Lucid, which is already on the market in the USA, has a maximum range of around 835 kilometers, according to the US environmental protection agency EPA.

The range of electric cars is set to increase further in the future: the Chinese car manufacturer Nio has already announced the top version of the ET7 with an estimated maximum range of 1000 kilometers. The sedan is scheduled to hit the market in Germany at the end of 2022. Aion’s LX SUV, a sub-brand of the Chinese car maker GAC, has already cracked the 1,000-kilometer mark – at least on paper. According to the Chinese NEDC standard, which corresponds to the NEDC cycle, the Aion LX plus crossover can travel 1,008 kilometers on one battery charge. The Mercedes prototype “Vision EQXX”, which was presented at the beginning of January, is also intended to achieve a range of over 1000 kilometers in road traffic according to WLTP, which Mercedes assumes based on internal digital simulations. However, it is unlikely that the car will go into series production.

This means that there has long been a struggle for high-range electric cars. ONE wants to start producing a battery by the end of 2022, which should have about twice the range of most currently existing electric vehicles. The startup plans to present a prototype of the battery in 2023.

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