Tesla is already mastering the production of cathodes for cells of size 4680 using the “dry method”

The quarterly earnings call is often used by investors to get comments from Tesla management about three months of rumors that have accumulated over three months, and yesterday’s conference was no exception. Elon Musk explained that in the last quarter the company not only increased production volumes of 4680 battery cells by one and a half times, but also began testing a Cybertruck prototype equipped with dry cathode batteries.

Let us recall that Tesla’s initiative implies a gradual transition from the traditional method of manufacturing cathodes and anodes for battery cells to a more progressive “dry” one, but in the conditions of small-scale production of cells such as 4680, the company has so far been able to introduce this technology only for anodes. From the point of view of the cost of manufacturing battery cells, this component has less influence than the cathode, so it is more important for the company to establish the production of cathodes using the “dry” method, and technical problems have arisen with this until now.

In July of this year, as explained in Tesla’s quarterly report, the company completed validation tests of the first prototype Cybertruck pickup equipped with 4680 battery cells with dry-type cathodes of its own production. If Tesla manages to establish their mass production, this will significantly reduce the cost of the traction battery, which remains the most expensive component of any electric vehicle. For the company, as noted, reducing the cost of all products is a key priority.

It is also important that Tesla in the second quarter increased production volumes of 4680 type battery cells by 50% compared to the first quarter of this year. This indicates a high rate of expansion of mass production. Musk has previously noted that the production of Cybertruck pickups is not limited by the availability of 4680 battery cells, and they are produced in the required quantities. The company also continued to reduce production costs in the second quarter. By the end of this year, Tesla expects to become the market player with the lowest costs for the production of 4680 type battery cells. In addition to it, these batteries are also produced by Panasonic and LG Energy Solution. Tesla itself uses 4680 cells, produced in Texas, for all Cybertruck pickups and some Model Y crossovers. Unlike the latter, a different type of battery cell is not provided for Cybertruck pickups.