Sept. 23, 2020—Yesterday was Tesla's highly-anticipated Battery Day, where founder Elon Musk announced reduced prices, recyclable batteries, and an all-new Model S.
Those who stayed on the livestream long enough got to hear Musk introduce the new Model S Plaid. Named after a joke in the 1987 film "Spaceballs," the Plaid model will travel 520 miles on a single charge, reaching top speeds of 200 miles per hour, reports CNN.
The most notable portion of the live announcement was the introduction of "tabless" batteries. Produced in-house, tabless batteries will reduce costs while increasing the battery's range by 16 percent, making it six times more powerful, according to the Verge. Musk and Tesla's senior vice president of powertrain and energy engineering, Drew Baglino, predicted that in the future Tesla batteries will be fully recyclable, eliminating the need for lithium mining.
Other promises made by Musk include an affordable $25,000 electric Tesla, which he says will be available in about three years.
