Long Range Electric Car: Tesla Motors May Be Working On a 1,600km Range Car

Long Range Electric Car: Sometimes, you can learn a lot about what a company is doing by taking a closer look at its patent filings. This is definitely the case in the automotive industry, such as with Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA).

While there has yet to be any confirmation from Tesla, many signs are pointing towards the electrical car manufacturer producing a vehicle with a 1,600 km range (roughly 995 miles).

Image: Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)

If the company is successful in making this happen, it would turn the automotive industry upside down.

Let’s back it up a bit to take a closer look of how this ties into what Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is doing.

In March, according to this report, a startup company in Israel, known as Phinergy, discussed the possibilities of a battery for an electric car with an estimated range of 1,600 km.

During this time, the company discussed the use of metal-air battery packs as opposed to the more traditional lithium batteries used in current electric vehicles.

At this point, you may be wondering what this has to do with Tesla.

Well, we don’t have to look any further than the company’s most recent patents. Since 2012, Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has applied for eight patents related to metal-air batteries.

If you put two and two together, there is a good chance that Tesla has been working with Phinergy on the production of this battery.

There are three specific patents related to the technology (on following pages), and Tesla Motors is listed as the assignee on each one.

Perhaps the most interesting of the three patents is the one pertaining to an “electric vehicle extended range hybrid battery pack system.” Here is what the abstract says:

“A power source comprised of a first battery pack (e.g., a non-metal-air battery pack) and a second battery pack (e.g., a metal-air battery pack) is provided, wherein the second battery pack is only used as required by the state-of-charge (SOC) of the first battery pack or as a result of the user selecting an extended range mode of operation. Minimizing use of the second battery pack prevents it from undergoing unnecessary, and potentially lifetime limiting, charge cycles. The second battery pack may be used to charge the first battery pack or used in combination with the first battery pack to supply operational power to the electric vehicle.”

Is this enough information to assume that Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is working with Phinergy on a battery that could change the industry forever? You make the call.

On the following pages, you will find images that accompany each patent: