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The Gigafactory Starts Production of Tesla's New "2170" Battery Cell

This metallic cylinder is key to all of Tesla's future ambitions. The "2170" battery cell is one of the key elements that will enable the Palo Alto company to offer the Model 3 at the advertised price of $35,000, as well as further develop its stationary energy storage solutions.
Tesla Gigafactory 1 photo
Photo: Tesla Motors
The 2170 cell replaces the old 18650 format, being both longer and thicker - its name actually stems from its exterior dimensions, measuring 21 millimeters (0.82 inches) in diameter and 70 millimeters (2.75 inches) in length. Elon Musk has characterized this new cell as being "the highest energy density cell in the world and also the cheapest."

Well, the main reason why it might be cheap (we don't exactly know how much it costs to manufacture) is that it's made in the company's megastructure in Reno, Nevada. "With the Gigafactory online and ramping up production, our cost of battery cells will significantly decline due to increasing automation and process design to enhance yield, lowered capital investment per Wh of production, the simple optimization of locating most manufacturing processes under one roof, and economies of scale."

Today, Tesla officially announced mass production of the lithium-ion 2170 battery cell has started at the Gigafactory, with the first units to be used for the company's Powerwall 2 and Powerpack 2 energy products. In the second quarter of 2017, the output will ramp up to prepare the batteries needed for the Model 3.

The statement released today says that the company expects that, by 2018, the Gigafactory would produce 35 GWh per year worth of battery cells, which, it states, is almost as much as the rest of the world combined. That's definitely the kind of yield you would expect from what is projected to become the world's largest building once all of its expansions are completed.

The press release ends with a paragraph that almost seems aimed at president-elect Donald Trump: "Finally, bringing cell production to the U.S. allows us to create thousands of American jobs. In 2017 alone, Tesla and Panasonic will hire several thousand local employees and at peak production, the Gigafactory will directly employ 6,500 people and indirectly create between 20,000 to 30,000 additional jobs in the surrounding regions." Who cares who it's aimed at as long as more jobs is always good news for everyone.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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