Influence of state of charge window on the degradation of Tesla lithium-ion battery cells

The Tesla Model 3 is currently one of the most popular electric vehicle (EV) and was the best selling EV in 2020. In this article, performance and degradation of 21700 cylindrical cells, taken from a new vehicle, were studied by cycling within 10% State of charge (SOC) windows. Cells tested in either very high and very low SOC windows show faster degradation than at moderate SOC. In particular, the shortest service life was for cells cycled below 25% SOC. The ageing mechanisms of the cells cycled in these most extreme windows have been monitored by non-destructive electrochemical methods including analyses of differential voltage, incremental capacity, and voltage hysteresis. The combination of loss of lithium inventory (LLI) accelerated in early cycling by SiOx utilization, paired with loss of active material (LAM) of SiOx are responsible for the most rapid ageing, which is observed in the cells cycled in the 5%–15% SOC window. Calendar ageing, however, is not accelerated by storage at low SOC. The results from this study offer an understanding of the distinct, SOC-dependent ageing patterns observed in the cells. This understanding of the ageing mechanisms in different cycling and storage conditions can be used to recommend improved customer usage patterns and substantially extend the lifetime of lithium-ion batteries in operation.