Ann: Commercial Graphene Facility Commences Production, page-99

From Science Trends, 6 NOV 2017:

One of the biggest problems with electric vehicles is that the batteries electric cars use are large and heavy. These batteries take a long time to charge and run out of energy rather quickly. To solve this problem, many are looking to graphene batteries as a solution.  Graphene batteries can improve over current battery technology in many different ways, such as offering increased battery life and performance.

Graphene batteries can offer improved performance over traditional batteries thanks to the structure of graphene. Graphene is composed of carbon atoms tightly bound together in a honeycomb structure. The graphene structure is so thin it is essentially two dimensional.  Graphene is an excellent conductor of both thermal and electrical energy. Graphene is also chemically inert, has a large surface area yet remains flexible, and is very lightweight. Graphene is typically considered sustainable and environmentally friendly, with many different possible applications.

This unique behavior is what makes graphene so impressively conductive, able to conduct electricity almost 35% better than copper. Electron transport through graphene is also 1,000 times better than through silicon, which contributes to why computers based on graphene transistors have the potential to be thousands of times faster than current silicon-based computers. This is also why graphene maintains a minimum conductance at all times.

New advances in graphene batteries have lead to the creation of a battery that surpasses the performance of any lithium-ion battery currently in use. Graphenano, a Spanish battery company, unveiled last year a graphene-polymer battery which could let electric vehicles drive up to 800 km, or 497 miles, on a single charge. The battery could also theoretically be charged in only a few minutes. Thanks to its graphene construction the battery is capable of charging and discharging approximately 33 times faster than a regular lithium-ion battery.

The Fisker Corporation, run by Henrik Fisker, perhaps the foremost rivals to the success of Tesla’s electric vehicles, was initially planning on using graphene batteries in its new electric car, the Fisker EMotion. However, the plan was subsequently dropped in favor of lithium-ion batteries. Despite the decision to pass on graphene batteries for electric vehicles, for the time being, Fisker has said that the company’s research into solid-state graphene battery cells would continue.

If Fisker does decide to use graphene batteries in their vehicles, they would probably be the first company to do so. That said, it is unlike Tesla to sit on the sidelines while other companies pursue advances in electric vehicle technology. Odds are good that if graphene batteries become a transformative technology, Tesla will pursue their use in some capacity.

So Coppers, its not a question of whether or not Tesla will use graphene batteries... its simply a question of when!