For your other points, I used to be on the capex team at Tesla, so maybe I can shed some light.
> We probably could instead use 25Kwh batteries while still massively reducing carbon emissions.
Margins are everything in the automotive industry. Tesla has the highest margins in the industry by a considerable margin. If they release a car now with a 25Kwh hour battery, they will cannibalize their sales. Tesla knows that they can consistently beat the other players at cost, so they can transition easily once the other players catch up... which I'm not sure it's entirely possible at this point.
Secondly, the Capital expenditure costs drive, although amortized, much of the cost per car. The battery pack is only a small portion of the entire cost of the line and other material inputs, so dropping the kwH from 150 to 25 doesn't help the price of the vehicle from Tesla's side, but the end user will expect to pay a lot less.
Tesla worked directly with Idra to create one of the biggest presses in the world. The dies underwent hundreds of revisions, with a die CNC onsite. Those presses will revolutionize the way cars are made, and Tesla has Idra occupied for years with multiple press orders.
>Tesla chronically understates the carbon intensiveness of building lithium-ion batteries.
Tesla has been working on brine mining for years. They recently purchased some land in Nevada and have started working on the project. They have an exciting plan of directing an array of mirrors at brine lakes, and using a series of pumps, filters, and solar panels can get close to net zero.
For your other points, I used to be on the capex team at Tesla, so maybe I can shed some light.
> We probably could instead use 25Kwh batteries while still massively reducing carbon emissions.
Margins are everything in the automotive industry. Tesla has the highest margins in the industry by a considerable margin. If they release a car now with a 25Kwh hour battery, they will cannibalize their sales. Tesla knows that they can consistently beat the other players at cost, so they can transition easily once the other players catch up... which I'm not sure it's entirely possible at this point.
Secondly, the Capital expenditure costs drive, although amortized, much of the cost per car. The battery pack is only a small portion of the entire cost of the line and other material inputs, so dropping the kwH from 150 to 25 doesn't help the price of the vehicle from Tesla's side, but the end user will expect to pay a lot less.
Tesla worked directly with Idra to create one of the biggest presses in the world. The dies underwent hundreds of revisions, with a die CNC onsite. Those presses will revolutionize the way cars are made, and Tesla has Idra occupied for years with multiple press orders.
>Tesla chronically understates the carbon intensiveness of building lithium-ion batteries.
Tesla has been working on brine mining for years. They recently purchased some land in Nevada and have started working on the project. They have an exciting plan of directing an array of mirrors at brine lakes, and using a series of pumps, filters, and solar panels can get close to net zero.