Ametherm NTC Thermistors

With all of the many pressing issues that are currently facing our society at large, one of the biggest subjects that we must deal with moving forward is the future of the automotive industry as it pertains to areas such as climate change, and more specifically how that may impact the future of electric vehicles. Of the many raging debates over electric vehicles versus that of their gas powered counterparts, one of the major sticking points currently is the drastic price affordability of a traditional vehicle, with electric vehicles typically not only more expensive but with less mileage range due to the need for battery charging. Yet it is with all of this said that what if soon there were electrical vehicles available for purchase at a similar price of its traditional vehicular rival?

The powerhouse of the electronic vehicle industry is none another than Tesla, and so it is by no surprise that at the company’s annual shareholder’s meeting, otherwise known as “Battery Day,” CEO of Tesla Elon Musk pushed forward his company’s plan of bringing a $25,000 electric vehicle to the market in the next three years, making note that these vehicles would be “on par” or “slightly better than a comparable gasoline car.” In order to make this happen, Tesla is banking on its innovative capabilities to drastically slash the costs associated with battery packs that are the main force behind why electric vehicles have the high value that they do.

In fact, Musk announced that Tesla has also taken the first step of this process by expanding their business into mining by recently securing the rights to a 10,000-acre lithium clay deposit in Nevada. While this is a big step in making the goal of an affordable electric vehicle closer to reality, there are also doubts as to how Tesla will be able to achieve this as there has never been any production of lithium from clay sources before in history. While this is unprecedented territory, it’s worth noting that Tesla is used to being doubted with their unconventional methods, yet they have always seemingly found a way to make the relative impossible much more likely with their practices.

According to a research study conducted by BloombergNEF, the inflation-adjusted average price of battery packs for electric vehicles has dipped from $1,160 per kWh in 2010 all the way to only $156 in 2019, illustrating the drastic difference and shift over the years. As an example, when looking at the most popular electric cars in the U.S., the battery capacity typically ranges from 50 to 75 kWh. If in following this example one were to choose the 75 kWh battery and the model it comes associated with, the car’s battery would now cost around $11,700 as opposed to nearly $90,000 just ten years ago.

Tying all of this together, Ametherm’s NTC Thermistor Temperature Sensors provides Li-Ion battery safety, which can in turn help engineers and designers alike optimize their Battery Management System (BMS) design. With the need for effective and efficient battery components at an optimal price, Ametherm has everything that company’s need to take electric vehicles to the next level and help drive down costs for consumers down the line.