Photo: Tesla
On February 18, Tesla tweeted that it had produced its one millionth 4680 in January. The picture presents the factory in which these cells are being made, on Kato Road, and multiple Tesla workers in front of it. Drew Baglino, Tesla’s senior vice president for powertrain and energy engineering, seems to be among them. What we can’t see is a single 4680 cell.
The reasonable question to make is where they are. We even thought each of these employees had one in their hands and amplified the picture to look for that. Nothing: everybody is just waving or making hand gestures for multiple things. The ok symbol and a reference to 1 (million) are what most people were doing when the shot was taken.
We know the right place for these cells is on electric cars. However, if they were just produced when the picture was taken, presenting at least one of them in the image would be symbolic that it is ready for production. Elon Musk said that would only happen by April in the best-case scenario.
What are these one million batteries for if that is really the case? Prototypes? The Tesla Model Y that will soon be produced in Austin? Tesla did not clarify that in its tweet, demanding that we put these one million batteries in the proper context.
The Model S and Model X with 85 kWh battery packs use 7,140 18650 cells. The Model 3 and Model Y Long Range have 4,416 2170 batteries. Being so much more significant than these two, it is estimated that Tesla would need 960 cells for the Model Y. People have calculated that with the images the company presented at the Tesla Battery Day.
That said, Tesla could have built 1,041 Model Y units with one million 4680 cells. The Cybertruck and the Semi probably need way more than 960 cells.
The Semi may have battery packs ranging from 600 kWh up to 1 MWh. If the 82 kWh battery pack of the Model Y needs 960 cells, the largest pack for the Semi would need a little more than 11,700 batteries. If the company used these cells exclusively for its future truck, Tesla would then have 87 Semi prototypes. Where are they?
Until these cells are approved for production, remember that these one million batteries produced are also prototypes. Will they be put in vehicles for regular customers? Is it ok to use them at this point in production vehicles? These are the answers Tesla owes its clients. Unfortunately, most of them will not ask them, eager to have the first Model Y units with the new cell. We wish them luck.
We know the right place for these cells is on electric cars. However, if they were just produced when the picture was taken, presenting at least one of them in the image would be symbolic that it is ready for production. Elon Musk said that would only happen by April in the best-case scenario.
What are these one million batteries for if that is really the case? Prototypes? The Tesla Model Y that will soon be produced in Austin? Tesla did not clarify that in its tweet, demanding that we put these one million batteries in the proper context.
The Model S and Model X with 85 kWh battery packs use 7,140 18650 cells. The Model 3 and Model Y Long Range have 4,416 2170 batteries. Being so much more significant than these two, it is estimated that Tesla would need 960 cells for the Model Y. People have calculated that with the images the company presented at the Tesla Battery Day.
That said, Tesla could have built 1,041 Model Y units with one million 4680 cells. The Cybertruck and the Semi probably need way more than 960 cells.
The Semi may have battery packs ranging from 600 kWh up to 1 MWh. If the 82 kWh battery pack of the Model Y needs 960 cells, the largest pack for the Semi would need a little more than 11,700 batteries. If the company used these cells exclusively for its future truck, Tesla would then have 87 Semi prototypes. Where are they?
Until these cells are approved for production, remember that these one million batteries produced are also prototypes. Will they be put in vehicles for regular customers? Is it ok to use them at this point in production vehicles? These are the answers Tesla owes its clients. Unfortunately, most of them will not ask them, eager to have the first Model Y units with the new cell. We wish them luck.
Celebrating our one millionth 4680 cell in January pic.twitter.com/d19IPFu18u
— Tesla (@Tesla) February 18, 2022
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