Hi everybody and welcome back to the Elon Musk podcast where we dig into the world of technology, sustainable energy and groundbreaking advancements that are changing how we live and interact with our environment and with technology. Today we're going to talk about two major stories making waves
in the automotive sector. The first is Volvo's strategic partnership with Connected Energy to repurpose old EV batteries into new energy storage systems, move that holds promise for reducing battery waste. And that second story is all about Tesla hitting the milestone of producing its five millionth electric car and its ongoing experiments in vehicle manufacturing, which could
drastically cut costs now. Earlier this week, Volvo announced A collaboration with Connected Energy, a firm specializing in battery recycling, And Volvo has signed a letter of intent to construct battery energy storage systems, or Bess, following an initial investment announced last year. Now, with E V's becoming increasingly popular, finding a sustainable way to dispose of or repurpose use batteries has
become a big concern. Now, Volvo and Connected Energy aimed to tackle this issue by converting these old batteries into energy storage systems, and these systems will employ batteries from Volvo's existing line of electric buses, trucks,
and other machinery. Matthew Lumsden, CEO of Connected Energy, shared his enthusiasm about expanding their technology to the European market in collaboration with Volvo Energy. Elizabeth Larson, Volvo's Energy Senior VP for Sales and Services, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the benefits of aligning the project with the principles of the circular economy.
Now, Volvo expects to introduce this new energy storage system in Europe by 2025. Furthermore, at its Gothenburg facility in Sweden, Volvo has already started using connected energies E store system to access grid response rates. Now switching gears, let's talk about Tesla, the EV manufacturer that continues to make headlines.
This week, Tesla announced that it had produced its five millionth electric vehicle, a staggering accomplishment when you consider the pace at which the company has been ramping up its production. The first million took 12 years, the second million 18 months, and now Tesla is on track to reach the 6 million mark by early of 2024.
All of this production is contributing to Tesla's status is the largest all electric car manufacturer globally, with a growth rate that shows no signs of slowing down. Now what makes this story even more interesting is the way Tesla is changing the game in vehicle manufacturing. And according to a recent port, Tesla is getting closer to achieving its goal of die casting the underbody of its
cars in one piece. Now, traditional manufacturing techniques often involve up to 400 original pieces that need to be assembled, which can be both time consuming and costly. And if Tesla succeeds, they could cut manufacturing costs by up to 50%, setting a precedent for the industry. However, the shift in manufacturing isn't without
challenges. Tesla's working with 3D printing and industrial sand to make prototypes, which gives them greater flexibility for design changes without breaking the bank. And even then, achieving the final product requires overcoming substantial hurdles like the formulation of special alloys and fine tuning the molten alloy cooling process. But if Tesla pulls this off, they'll set a new benchmark for the industry, putting considerable pressure on traditional manufacturers to
adapt or risk becoming obsolete. Now let's do a bonus story here. Let's pivot from the roads to space, where something monumental is happening. NASA is collaborating with SpaceX to create the Human Landing system, the Starship Human Landing System, which will play a critical role in the Artemis 3 and Artemis 4 missions, and these missions aim to land American astronauts close to the moon's South Pole.
The HLS will use two distinct types of SpaceX Raptor engines, one tailored for sea level atmospheric conditions and the other for operations in space where there's no atmosphere now. Last month, SpaceX showcased an important milestone for the vacuum optimized Raptor engine. They ran a test proving that the engine could successfully operate under extremely cold temperatures, temperatures that a spacecraft would experience after spending extended periods in space.
And this test is significant because one of the challenges specific to Artemis missions compared to low Earth orbit missions is that the landing systems might have to remain inactive in space for an extended period of time.
Now this causes the temperature of the hardware to plummet to levels much colder than what one would typically find on shorter missions closer to Earth. The company and already reach a significant testing milestone in November of 2021 and SpaceX demonstrated the Raptor engines ability to manage a crucial part of landing on the Moon during a 281 second test firing. This test aimed to verify two things. First, it tested the Raptors throttle profile, its ability to
modulate engine power over time. Second, it verified that the engine could sustain a burn for the entire duration of the descent phase of the mission. Both objectives were successfully achieved bolstering NASA's early trust in Spacex's engine development program. Simulation and insitu testing are vital for refining Artemis Moon Landers.
Now these test runs offer a kind of mission like validation of the systems that will be responsible for transporting astronauts to and from the lunar Surfaced and post test data assessments offer NASA continuously growing confidence in the preparedness of the US industry for the mission. And what's next for Spacex's Raptor engines?
They're slated for further testing during Spacex's upcoming second integrated flight test, involving both the Starship in its booster, the Super Heavy System, and by bringing in SpaceX and its innovative engine technology, NASA aims to ensure the success of future lunar missions. With rigorous testing and continued advancements, the partnership could usher in a new era of space exploration, paving the way for more advanced missions that extend well beyond
the moon. While that was a packed episode and we've covered Volvo's efforts and reimagining EV battery waste, Tesla's groundbreaking vehicle production and manufacturing methods, and NASA's partnership with SpaceX for lunar landings, each of these stories presents a unique angle on how technology and innovation can address challenges and create opportunities for a better
future. And if you found this episode engaging, don't forget to hit the Subscribe or Follow button on whatever podcast platform you're listening on right now. It's completely free and we'll keep you updated and posted on all the latest episodes of the Elon Musk Podcast. O, thanks for tuning in today. I appreciate you and please take care of yourselves and each other and I'll see you in the next one.