Energy
New Tesla patent points to safer battery packs with damage-isolating energy system
Details from Tesla’s new patent suggests that the company is coming up with a way to make its battery packs safer. Using what the electric car and energy company describes as an “Energy Storage System,” Tesla would be able to isolate damages caused by failed battery cells, saving functional cells in the battery pack.
The patent, which was published today, listed an international filing date on January 10, 2018. Tesla noted in its patent that battery cells generate heat during both charging and discharging. When cells fail, the individual units typically release hot gases that could negatively affect the integrity of nearby cells. This usually results in functional cells being damaged as well. Tesla’s patent describes the use of two interconnects that would be positioned over the multiple battery cells. Multiple first cell connectors connect the positive terminal of the battery cells to the first interconnect, while multiple second cell connectors connect the negative terminal of the battery cells to the second interconnect. A top plate with an interior and an exterior side is placed over the first and second interconnect. An illustration of this could be found below.
An exploded view of the energy storage system, according to certain embodiments of the invention. [Credit: Tesla]
This top plate includes one or more weak areas above one or more battery cells. These weak areas are designed to rupture when failed battery cells release heat and build up pressure. Tesla’s patent notes that these weak areas could be chemically weaker when exposed to the caustic gases released by failed battery cells. By adopting this system, Tesla would be able to contain the damage from failed cells to a specific section of the battery pack, saving the integrity of functional battery cells. Tesla elaborates on this process in its patent.
“During operation of the energy storage system, the battery cells generate heat. The system may include features or material to thermally insulate the battery cells from the heat generated by other cells (and/or other electrical components), such as a polymer-based insulating material or another type of insulating material. The system may also include features, such as a cold plate or heat pipes, to remove heat generated by the battery cells during operation of the energy storage system. The features or material to perform this electrical insulation may include the interstitial material or a sleeve, as further described below. In alternate embodiments, an air gap may provide the necessary electrical isolation.
“Further, the battery cells may fail and discharge its contents as hot gases that are caustic to the other battery cells and other portions of the system. The energy storage system may include features or material for directing the hot-gas discharge during failure of a battery cell. In certain embodiments, the features or material for insulating the battery cells from heat generated by other battery cells (and/or other electrical components) and the feature or material that directs the discharge of the hot gases during battery cell failure may be the same. In other embodiments, separate features or materials may both insulate a battery cell from the other battery cells and also direct the discharge of any hot gases.”
Tesla’s new patent is yet another sign that the electric car maker is pushing innovation despite the company’s lead in battery technology. Tesla’s 2170 cells, which are fitted on the Model 3’s battery pack, have garnered widespread acclaim from industry experts such as Sandy Munro of Munro & Associates, who dubbed the cells as the best batteries in the world to date. In his conclusion to a thorough teardown and analysis of the Model 3, Munro noted that he was impressed with Tesla’s new 2170 batteries. Munro further stated that after tearing down the electric car, he now believes that Tesla is far above other battery manufacturers such as Samsung and LG in terms of technology.
“This is the new cell. This is called the 2170. It’s a little bit bigger; 20% bigger than the old one. It has new chemistry, and quite frankly, it gives you 50% more power. Twenty percent bigger but 50% more power. I’m pretty happy with that,” Munro said.
Battery packs are at the core of Tesla’s business, with batteries powering both the company’s electric car and energy storage systems. With Tesla ramping its efforts on both fronts, it is imperative for the company to ensure its lead in the battery industry. With safer battery packs, Tesla can continue saturating both the auto and energy market with the added assurance that its batteries are as safe as they can be.
Tesla’s new patent for its Energy Storage System could be accessed in full here.
Energy
Tesla Energy celebrates one decade of sustainability
Tesla Energy has gone far since its early days, and it is now becoming a progressively bigger part of the company.
Tesla Energy recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a dedicated video showcasing several of its milestones over the past decade.
Tesla Energy has gone far since its early days, and it is now becoming a progressively bigger part of the company.
Tesla Energy Early Days
When Elon Musk launched Tesla Energy in 2015, he noted that the business is a fundamental transformation of how the world works. To start, Tesla Energy offered the Powerwall, a 7 kWh/10 kWh home battery system, and the Powerpack, a grid-capable 100 kWh battery block that is designed for scalability. A few days after the products’ launch, Musk noted that Tesla had received 38,000 reservations for the Powerwall and 2,500 reservations for the Powerpack.
Tesla Energy’s beginnings would herald its quiet growth, with the company later announcing products like the Solar Roof tile, which is yet to be ramped, and the successor to the Powerwall, the 13.5 kWh Powerwall 2. In recent years, Tesla Energy also launched its Powerwall 3 home battery and the massive Megapack, a 3.9 MWh monster of a battery unit that has become the backbone for energy storage systems across the globe.
Key Milestones
As noted by Tesla Energy in its recent video, it has now established facilities that allow the company to manufacture 20,000 units of the Megapack every year, which should help grow the 23 GWh worth of Megapacks that have already been deployed globally.
The Powerwall remains a desirable home battery as well, with more than 850,000 units installed worldwide. These translate to 12 GWh of residential entry storage delivered to date. Just like the Megapack, Tesla is also ramping its production of the Powerwall, allowing the division to grow even more.
Tesla Energy’s Role
While Tesla Energy does not catch as much headlines as the company’s electric vehicle businesses, its contributions to the company’s bottom line have been growing. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Tesla Energy deployed 10.4 GWh of energy storage products. Powerwall deployments also crossed 1 GWh in one quarter for the first time. As per Tesla in its Q1 2025 Update Letter, the gross margin for the Energy division has improved sequentially as well.
Tesla Energy shined in what was a weak delivery report for the first quarter, as the company’s frequently-forgotten battery storage products performed extraordinarily well.
Tesla reported its Q1 production, delivery, and deployment figures for the first quarter of the year, and while many were less-than-excited about the automotive side, the Energy division performed well with 10.4 GWh of energy storage products deployed during the first quarter.
This was a 156 percent increase year-over-year and the company’s second-best quarter in terms of energy deployments to date. Only Q4 2024 was better, as 11 GWh was recorded.
Tesla Energy is frequently forgotten and not talked about enough. The company has continued to deploy massive energy storage projects across the globe, and as it recorded 31.5 GWh of deployments last year, 2025 is already looking as if it will be a record-setting year if it continues at this pace.
Tesla Megapacks to back one of Europe’s largest energy storage sites
Although Energy performed well, many investors are privy to that of the automotive division’s performance, which is where some concern lies. Tesla had a weak quarter for deliveries, missing Wall Street estimates by a considerable margin.
There are two very likely reasons as to why this happened: the first is Tesla’s switchover to the new Model Y at its production facilities across the globe. Tesla said it lost “several weeks” of production due to the updating of manufacturing lines as it rolled out a new version of its all-electric crossover.
Secondly, Tesla could be facing some pressure from pushback against the brand, which is what many analysts will say. Despite the publicity of attacks on Tesla drivers and their vehicles, as well as the company’s showrooms, it would be safe to assume that we will have a better picture painted of what the issue is in Q2 after the company reports numbers in July.
If Tesla is still struggling with lackluster delivery figures in Q2 after the Model Y is ramped and deliveries are more predictable and consistent, we could see where the argument for brand damage is legitimate. However, we are more prone to believe the Model Y, which accounts for most of Tesla’s sales, and its production ramp is likely the cause for what happened in Q1.
In what was a relatively bleak quarter, Tesla Energy still shines as the bright spot for the quarter.
Tesla has chosen the location of its latest manufacturing project, a facility that will churn out the Megapack, a large-scale energy storage system for solar energy projects. It has chosen Waller County, Texas, as the location of the new plant, according to a Commissioners Court meeting that occurred on Wednesday, March 5.
Around midday, members of the Waller County Commissioners Court approved a tax abatement agreement that will bring Tesla to its area, along with an estimated 1,500 jobs. The plant will be located at the Empire West Industrial Park in the Brookshire part of town.
Brookshire also plans to consider a tax abatement for Tesla at its meeting next Thursday.
The project will see a one million square-foot building make way for Tesla to build Megapack battery storage units, according to Covering Katy News, which first reported on the company’s intention to build a plant for its energy product.
CEO Elon Musk confirmed on the company’s Q4 2024 Earnings Call in late January that it had officially started building its third Megapack plant, but did not disclose any location:
“So, we have our second factory, which is in Shanghai, that’s starting operation, and we’re building a third factory. So, we’re trying to ramp output of the stationary battery storage as quickly as possible.”
Tesla plans third Megafactory after breaking energy records in 2024
The Megapack has been a high-demand item as more energy storage projects have started developing. Across the globe, regions are looking for ways to avert the loss of power in the event of a natural disaster or simple power outage.
This is where Megapack comes in, as it stores energy and keeps the lights on when the main grid is unable to provide electricity.
Vince Yokom of the Waller County Economic Development Partnership, commented on Tesla’s planned Megapack facility:
“I want to thank Tesla for investing in Waller County and Brookshire. This will be a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for their Megapack product. It is a powerful battery unit that provides energy storage and support to help stabilize the grid and prevent outages.”
Tesla has had a lease on the building where it will manufacture the Megapacks since October 2021. However, it was occupied by a third-party logistics company that handled the company’s car parts.
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