Tesla has produced ten million 4680 battery cells in four months

Tesla has produced a total of twenty million 4680 battery cells, the company said. In June there were still ten million. Production has been significantly increased since then. Tesla began developing the 4680 cells in 2021.

Tesla reports on X that it produced its twenty millionth 4680 cell at its Texas factory this week. The previous update was given in June, when the milestone of ten million cells was passed. In January 2022 goods 1 million cells were produced for the first time. Within 17 months, nine million new cells were made, while the step from ten to twenty million took only four months.

This means that an average of 625,000 cells have been produced per week, good for a total production capacity of 80MWh per week, or approximately 4.48GWh per year, if 100Wh per cell is assumed. With a battery pack capacity of 65kWh, this could provide 1,200 vehicles per week with a battery. Since the Cybertruck as expected has a battery pack of about 120kWh, about half of that could be produced. Tesla ultimately wants to achieve a production capacity of 100GWh per year in its Gigafactory Texas.

The 4680 battery cell was unveiled in 2020. The cells have a length of 80mm and a diameter of 46mm, larger than what Tesla previously used. These cells enable a range that is sixteen percent higher than previous battery cells from the company, Elon Musk claimed at the time. They must also be fourteen percent cheaper per kWh.

The production of these battery cells was accompanied by many problems and associated delays. Tesla initially had plans to produce 4680 cells in Grünheide, near Berlin. At the end of 2021, it turned out that Tesla had missed out on more than a billion euros in subsidies due to delays in the construction of this factory. Tesla then decided to move production to the United States, as the subsidies offered by the US government are more favorable.

Tesla’s 4680 battery cell