A two-year-old Michigan startup said on Wednesday that they tested its new Gemini prototype battery on a Tesla Model S and drove it fully charged. 752 miles (1210 kilometers), which is nearly 90% more battery life than Model S’s original 402 miles of EPA data.
Mujeeb Ijaz, founder and CEO of ONE, said that the company’s goal is to start producing battery packs that can provide similar battery life by the end of 2023, which is about the same as that of most current electric vehicles.
We plan to manufacture (batteries) in North America and believe that we can do this economically, Ijaz said in an interview.
ONE has been focusing on developing advanced long-life batteries, using safer and more sustainable materials, and packing more energy into smaller and cheaper battery packs. Ijaz is a battery engineer with more than 30 years of experience. He has worked for Apple, A123 Systems, Ford and other companies.
Regarding ONE’s Gemini battery, Ijaz said, We want to eliminate nickel and cobalt, but we don’t want to give up energy density. Our goal is to reinvent battery chemistry and battery structure to provide at least 750 miles between charges.
Ijaz said that ONE chose the Tesla Model S Long Life Plus to showcase its prototype battery because it has fairly high efficiency and a fairly large battery pack and provides enough space to accommodate the ONE battery.
The original battery capacity of Model S was 103.9 kWh, while the ONE prototype battery that replaced it in the same space had 207.3 kWh. The test was conducted in a road test conducted in Michigan at the end of December, with an average speed of 55 miles (about 88 kilometers) per hour.