Tesla Changes the Chemistry of Battery Cells in its Standard Model

Tesla recently announced that all of its Standard Range models will switch to a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode. LFP batteries are much more readily available for Tesla use and have lower manufacturing costs. So, after seeing how much money was saved in China, Tesla decided to go global. However, switching to LFP batteries results in a reduced range. While cost is one of the main factors when switching to LFP batteries, other reasons may be related to the environment. LFP batteries require fewer rare earth minerals such as cobalt, nickel, and manganese. Nickel has become a hard-to-find material, and EV makers need a lot of this material. Nickel stocks are running low as car manufacturers try to supply them in bulk.