How Elon Musk aims to revolutionise battery technology

By Justin Rowlatt

Chief environment correspondent

BBC business

Elon Musk has perhaps the most exciting portfolio of businesses on the planet.

Elon Musk 神人埃隆·马斯克工程师、慈善家、PayPal贝宝（最大的网上支付公司）联合创始人。以及Spacex太空探索技术公司、环保跑车公司特斯拉（Tesla）以及SolarCity三家公司的CEO。

Revolutionise/,revə'ljuːʃənaɪz/：彻底改变

There's SpaceX with its mission to Mars, and Tesla with its super-fast hi-tech electric cars.

SpaceX和Tesla都是Elon Musk的公司，SpaceX专注太空技术，Tesla专注新能源跑车。

He claims his Hyperloop concept could revolutionise public transport. And even his Boring Company is kind of interesting - it aims to find new ways to dig tunnels.

Hyperloop：超级高铁 Hyperloop 假想的亚音速浮空列车系统建议一个局部真空的管度系统承载胶囊型列车，以大大降低空气阻力。  按照设想，工程人员将在地面上搭建作用类似铁路轨道的固定真空管道，在管道中安置“胶囊”座舱。         “胶囊”列车“漂浮”在处于真空的管道中，由弹射装置像发射炮弹一样启动座舱，无间断地驶往目的地。由于运行空间真空，没有摩擦力，“胶囊”车厢运行速度最高可能达到每小时 6500 公里。

So which one will end up changing the world most? It is my contention that it will be his battery business.

Doesn't sound that scintillating does it?

But the compact, lightweight lithium batteries that mean you can now stream movies on wafer-thin phones will soon be powering much more of your life.

scintillating /ˈsɪntɪleɪtɪŋ/ very clever, amusing and interesting 才情洋溢的；妙趣横生的

lithium /ˈlɪθiəm/锂   lightweight lithium batteries超轻薄锂电池

Stream：我们常见的含义是小溪，这边是一个很少见的计算机专业术语含义： to play video or sound on a computer by receiving it as a continuous stream, from the Internet for example, rather than needing to wait until the whole of the material has been downloaded 用流式传输，流播（无须待整个文件下载到计算机便可播放互联网上的视频或音频文件）

wafer-thin/ˌweɪfə ˈθɪn/超薄

Business Daily: Justin Rowlatt looks at how batteries are powering ahead

You're probably already interested in the potential of electric cars.

But maybe you also have the usual concerns about actually buying one: the price, the range, and worries about where you are going to charge the thing and how long you'll be stuck there.

Yet the market certainly seems to reckon they are the future. Just look at the Tesla share price.

 reckon/ˈrekən/ to think sth or have an opinion about sth 想；认为  [ V (that) ] I reckon (that) I'm going to get that job. 我认为我会得到那份工作。

Last week it briefly nudged ahead of Toyota to become the world's most valuable car firm, even though the Japanese giant sold 30 times as many vehicles last year.

 nudge/nʌdʒ/

1.to push sb gently, especially with your elbow, in order to get their attention （用肘）轻推，轻触•He nudged me and whispered, ‘Look who's just come in.’ 他用胳膊肘碰了我一下，低声说：“瞧谁进来了。” 

2.[ VN + adv./prep. ] to push sb/sth gently or gradually in a particular direction （朝某方向）轻推，渐渐推动 •She nudged me out of the way. 她将我慢慢地推开了。

3.[ + adv./prep. ] to move forward by pushing with your elbow 用胳膊肘挤开往前走·He nudged his way through the crowd. 他用胳膊肘开路穿过人群。

4.[ VN ] to reach or make sth reach a particular level （使）达到，接近 ·Inflation is nudging 20%. 通货膨胀即将达到20%。

One reason is that Elon Musk has been teasing investors and rivals with the promise of "battery day" some time soon, at which he will announce a series of advancements in battery tech.

World's biggest batteries

And cars are not the only vast new battery market.

You might have seen a story I wrote about how the world is slowly weaning itself off coal.

 weaning /'wiːnɪŋ/ 断奶的，断绝的  weaning itself off coal：减低对煤的依赖

Well, gigantic batteries connected to our electricity grids are going to be central to the great renewable energy revolution too.

"We are entering into a nearly exponential growth phase", says Prof Paul Shearing. He's an expert on emerging battery technologies at University College London.

gigantic/dʒaɪˈɡæntɪk/ extremely large 巨大的；庞大的

exponential/ˌekspəˈnenʃl/ 1.of or shown by an exponent 指数的；幂的；由指数表示的  •an exponential curve/function 指数曲线╱函数  2.( formal ) ( of a rate of increase 增长率 ) becoming faster and faster 越来越快的  ·He expects electric vehicles alone to drive European battery demand up by a factor of 10 this decade.

But this explosion in demand will only be possible if we can make batteries cheaper, more durable and more efficient.

That is a big ask for any technology but fear not, Mr Musk's proposed "battery day" comes thanks to a whole cascade of breakthroughs.

cascade/kæˈskeɪd/

1.a small waterfall , especially one of several falling down a steep slope with rocks 小瀑布（尤指一连串瀑布中的一支）；2.a large amount of water falling or pouring down 倾泻；流注 •a cascade of rainwater 如注的雨水；3.( formal ) a large amount of sth hanging down 大簇的下垂物 •Her hair tumbled in a cascade down her back. 她的长发瀑布般地倾泻在后背上。 4.( formal ) a large number of things falling or coming quickly at the same time 倾泻（或涌出）的东西

Million mile battery

The first of these was announced just last week when the Chinese battery-maker that supplies most of the major car makers, including Tesla, revealed it had produced the first "million mile battery".

Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) says its new battery is capable of powering a vehicle for more than a million miles (1.2 million, to be precise - or 1.9 million km) over a 16-year lifespan.

Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) 宁德时代新能源科技有限公司(CATL)

Most car batteries offer warranties for 60,000-150,000 miles over a three to eight-year period.

This is a huge improvement in battery life, but will cost just 10% more than existing products, says CATL chair, Zeng Yuqun.

Having a battery you never need to change is obviously good news for the electric car industry. But longer-lasting batteries are also essential for what's known as "stationary" storage too.

stationary/ˈsteɪʃənri/1.not moving; not intended to be moved 不动的；静止的；固定的；不可移动的 •I remained stationary. 我待着没动。 2.not changing in condition or quantity 不变的；稳定的

These are the batteries we can attach to wind turbines or solar panels so renewable energy is available when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing.

wind turbines： /ˈtɜːbaɪn/ 风力涡轮机   solar panels：太阳能板

Fairly soon you might even want a stationary battery in your home to store cheap off-peak electricity, or to collect the power your own solar panels generate.

The cheaper option

The next barrier that is likely to be broken is price.

The landmark challenge in the electric vehicle industry is to get a battery costing under $100 (£78) per kilowatt hour.

kilowatt ：kilo-watt 千瓦

"At that point you start to get electric vehicles that are cheaper than the equivalent internal combustion vehicles," says Seth Weintraub, a US battery technology journalist.

combustion /kəmˈbʌstʃən/1.the process of burning 燃烧2.( technical 术语 ) a chemical process in which substances combine with the oxygen in the air to produce heat and light 燃烧过程

Once that happens the internal combustion engine will be effectively dead, he says, comparing it to how digital killed off film cameras a decade ago.

"In car dealerships we're going to go from one electric vehicle in the back lot somewhere, to one gas vehicle in the back lot somewhere."

Dealership：汽车经销商

So when will this crucial price-point be passed?

He believes it already has.

Mr Weintraub says his sources tell him these batteries are going into Teslas right now, and thinks this will be one of Mr Musk's "battery day" revelations.