The Dalhousie University professor is currently working on a research project for 3M, however he will begin an exclusive five-year collaboration with Tesla beginning June 2016, according to Fortune.
The California-based automaker will support Dahn and his lab crew of approximately 20 graduate students, post-docs and other staff. The team will be tasked with making improvements and refinements to existing lithium-ion technologies, aiming to reduce per-kWh costs by increasing energy density and recharge cycles.
The timing coincides with production at Tesla’s ‘Gigafactory,’ a $5 billion battery plant that must succeed in reducing battery costs by 30 percent or more. Such reductions are viewed as necessary for the company to build its mass-market Model 3 sedan without compromising its 250-mile range or $35,000 price target.
Dahn suggests he won’t be working on next-generation or alternative battery chemistries, some of which have proved troublesome for rival automakers. Lithium-ion is a proven technology that is already on a steady price decline, and Tesla appears to be confident that it can achieve its goals without driving a revolution in energy storage.
Image by Ronan Glon.
Leave a Reply