By 2026, Tesla intends to develop four new versions of traction batteries

The Cybercab robotic taxi, due to be unveiled on October 10 in Los Angeles, is not the only new Tesla product in development. According to The Information, the company is developing four new versions of 4680 traction batteries not only for the Cybertruck and Cybercab, but also for its other electric vehicles.

Image Source: Tesla

Tesla’s own batteries are so far installed in a small part of the electric vehicles produced, since in the US the company’s auto assembly plants are heavily dependent on supplies of Panasonic and LG Energy Solution batteries, and in China, Tesla’s largest enterprise relies on batteries produced by CATL and BYD. Even in the US, the company until recently supplied Chinese-made LFP traction batteries, which allowed it to offer a standard-range, rear-wheel drive version of the Model 3 locally for under $40,000 before subsidies. Increased tariffs on Chinese-made batteries that came into force forced Tesla to remove the most affordable version of the Model 3 from the American market.

The company has been trying to increase the production of 4680 battery cells at a plant in Texas for several years with varying success. In the future, they should have allowed it to assemble electric vehicles costing from $25,000, but now these plans had to be postponed for reasons not directly related to the production of batteries . According to The Information, when producing cathodes for type 4680 cells, Tesla loses up to 80% of its products as defective products, while for other manufacturers the norm is no more than 2%.

By the middle of next year, according to the source, Tesla is going to start supplying Cybertruck pickups with 4680-type battery cells based on cathodes made by the “dry method”, which is less energy-consuming and less harmful to the environment. It is planned to produce from 2,000 to 3,000 pickup trucks equipped with such batteries per week. By 2026, the company plans to launch the production of four new variants of cells of standard size 4680 with a “dry” cathode, one of them will be used in the production of robotic taxis. Currently, Tesla equips some of the Model Y crossovers produced in Texas with 4680 American-made cells, as well as all Cybertruck pickups, but the Semi trucks produced in small series still use a more traditional format of battery cells, although in the future they will benefit from the transition to the 4680 size.