Tesla unveils new tabless battery on “Battery Day”

Tesla has unveiled its new, bigger battery — known as the 4680 — during “Battery Day” on September 22, 2020. According to Tesla, the new cell will increase battery range by 16%, offers six times the power of its previous cells and five times the energy capacity.  The new cell measures 46 mm by 80 mm — hence the name 4680 — and features a new tabless cylindrical design.

Tesla has also reduced the number of parts, created a better electrical connection from the battery and simplified the manufacturing process. (The efficiency of the manufacturing process for the new cell is expected to reduce the price per kWh by 14% – Tesla hopes to eventually reduce this price by 50%.) The company currently produces the cells at a facility near its plant in Fremont, California.

At the inauguration, Tesla CEO Elon Musk praised the company’s efforts to make the battery plant more efficient, emphasizing the need to accelerate battery production if electric vehicles (EVs) are to have a significant impact on climate change. It will be a “highway” at “maximum speed” once it is scaled, he said, and suggested that the new battery design will provide Tesla with the savings needed to launch a $25,000 EV. 

The new in-house cells are not expected to reach mass production until 2022 and it will take a year for the first facility to reach its 10 GWh production capacity.

Watch the full “Battery Day” video here. 

Photo source : Green Car Reports