Tesla Produces 10 Millionth 4680 Battery Cell at Giga Texas

Image: Tesla

Tesla is celebrating the production of its 10 millionth 4680 battery cell. The company ramped up production from zero to 1 million in 16 months and increased it 10 times in the same amount of time.

Tesla produces its 10 millionth battery cell

On Friday, Tesla announced it had reached a major milestone. The company has shared that it has produced its 10 millionth 4680 battery cell. This was achieved at Giga Texas. Previously, Tesla had only produced its new battery cells on a pilot line at its Fremont factory. However, in parallel with this, the company was actively installing and setting up a production line at Giga Texas. Throughout 2022, production has significantly increased.

Produced our 10 millionth 4680 cell at Giga Texas this week! pic.twitter.com/0x2CNoDvCR

— Tesla (@Tesla) June 16, 2023

Tesla 10 times increased production of 4680 cells in 16 months

Tesla announced the first significant achievement in the production of its new batteries at the end of February 2022. The company marked the production of its 1 millionth battery cell, which was achieved in Fremont in January. This meant that Tesla was able to produce 1 million cells in 16 months from the initial presentation of the cell in September 2020.

Real success in ramping up production can be felt right now. It has been just over 16 months since the 1 millionth 4680 cell milestone was announced. During this time, Tesla was able to increase production 10 times, reaching the milestone of 10 million battery cells. Even more surprising is the fact that at Giga Texas, mass production of cells only started in Q3 2022.

Model Y is equipped with 4680 battery cells

Tesla uses 4680 battery cells to produce the Model Y coming off the Giga Texas assembly line. 10 million cells produced is enough to produce about 12,000 Model Ys. In the future, the manufacturer intends to equip Cybertruck with this type of cell, production of which should begin soon. However, mass production of the truck will only begin in 2024. During this time, Tesla will be able to significantly increase the production of 4680 batteries to equip their cars with them.

4680 batteries are an important part of Tesla's mission

Tesla has entered a new field by developing a new battery cell design that is different from anything on the market today. Tesla's mission is to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy—and not just through its cars. “The three elements needed for a sustainable energy future are sustainable energy generation, energy storage, and sustainable transport, electric cars,” said Elon Musk. All three elements of a sustainable future are directly dependent on batteries. This is why Tesla has been so keen on developing its own battery cells that will be produced faster and cheaper, and have more capacity.

Due to the increased size, which is 46mm by 80mm, the battery cell has five times more energy, gives 16% more range, and six times more power. It also lowers the dollar-per-kilowatt hour cost of the battery by 14%. That is, the larger form factor is key, as it gives the battery significant advantages while costing less to manufacture. In 2021, Tesla encountered difficulties during the setup of large-scale production of the cell, which slowed down the overall time of its entry into the market, but it seems that the manufacturer was able to overcome these hurdles.

© 2023, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.

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