Tesla did not miss any moment at Battery Day and announced the new tabless 4680 battery cell.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk along with Vice President of Technology Drew Baglino announced its huge breakthrough in its mission to develop a more affordable electric car. The executives shared details about the Tesla 4680 battery cell. Essentially the new battery cell not only aims to minimize production cost by improving the power-to-weight ratio but also to increase energy density, range, and power of electric vehicles.
The tabless design of the new Tesla 4680 battery cell increases manufacturing efficiency, which leads to reduced cost per kilowatt-hour. Additionally, it decreases the amount required to charge batteries. This is achieved because of the balance of the outer diameter of cells described by the first couple of digits of the new cell.
Tesla's new 4680 battery cells are 46mm in diameter and 80mm in height. Its larger jelly roll houses more active battery material into the casing. Because of this, it offers five times more energy storage improvement and six times increase in power.
Important note about Tesla Battery Day unveil tomorrow. This affects long-term production, especially Semi, Cybertruck & Roadster, but what we announce will not reach serious high-volume production until 2022. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 21, 2020
The new battery's form factor alone offers a massive 16% increase in range. Based on Tesla's description, the new tabless 4680 battery cells are substantially superior to cells with tabs. While they are bigger in size, removing the tab allows electrons to get inside the cell easier than the 2170 cells.
"You actually have a shorter path length in a large tabless cell than you have in a smaller cell with tabs," Musk shared. Tesla also used raw silicon to work around silicon's rough edges and developed new chemistry to complement it.
The team utilized an elastic ion-conducting polymer coating to stabilize the surface. As a result, it enables a higher percentage of silicon to be utilized in cells, which in turn enables Tesla to produce a cheaper cell that boasts higher capacity.
All you need to know about #Tesla #BatteryDay: new 4680 #battery cell, $25,000 full-autonomous #ElectricVehicle and the new #ModelSPlaid pic.twitter.com/ZXdJVFDHl9 — Yang Zhao TIO (@YangZha42341102) September 23, 2020
The manufacturing efficiency of the 4680 battery cell reduces the price per kWh by 14%. Manufacturing cells in mass quantities and allowing them to be readily available for EV production will minimize the cost of the vehicle. As a result, it would lead Tesla to offer more affordable electric vehicles, maybe even more affordable than those being offered by gas-powered car makers.
The new Tesla 4680 battery cell is currently being produced at the company's Kato Road pilot facility in Fremont.
