Tesla Has Finally Achieved Full-Scale Production of its 4680 Cells

 

The video lays out that Tesla has finally achieved full-scale production of its 4680 cells using a fully dry‑electrode method for both anode and cathode, and explains why this is a foundational manufacturing leap for EVs rather than merely an incremental battery tweak.

What Tesla Promised Back in 2020

- At Battery Day in 2020 Tesla unveiled the 4680 cell and a new dry battery electrode (DBE) technique, claiming it could cut battery costs by more than half, reduce factory size, and increase range — paving the way for truly affordable Teslas and robo‑taxis.

- The wider industry greeted that claim with heavy skepticism because dry processes had only worked at lab scale and were widely viewed as nearly impossible to scale for the high‑energy chemistries required in cars.

Why the Dry Process Was So Difficult

- Conventional cell production relies on a wet slurry that’s coated and baked in massive ovens, a slow, energy‑intensive, and costly approach.

- Tesla’s dry route removes solvents and ovens, directly compressing powder plus binder onto foil. That was relatively straightforward for the anode but extremely challenging for nickel‑rich, brittle cathodes, which tended to fracture under pressure and could damage equipment, causing long stoppages.

The Breakthrough in 2026

- In early 2026 Tesla confirmed that Giga Texas is now producing 4680 cells at scale with both electrodes made via the dry process — a development Elon Musk called a major advance in lithium battery manufacturing.

- The video describes Tesla using low‑shear mixing with a PTFE binder, a fibrillation step that weaves the binder into a microscopic net to hold particles together, and carefully controlled calendaring (rolling) to densify electrodes without pulverizing the active material.

What This Means for the Batteries

- These new 4680 cells reportedly deliver much higher energy density and power, and better longevity, since the gentler dry method avoids some of the damage caused by wet‑slurry coatings and high‑temperature drying.

- Tesla says this approach could eventually reach very high specific energy (on the order of 1,000 Wh/kg) at lower cost, meaning fewer cells per vehicle and lighter, cheaper packs.

Factory, Cost, and Product Impact

- Removing solvents and huge ovens slashes energy consumption, shrinks factory footprint, and lowers capital expenditures — turning the factory itself into a strategic product advantage.

- Tesla claims its in‑house 4680s are now its lowest‑cost cells and among the cheapest available. They’ve begun appearing in some Model Y cars with structural packs, initially positioned as a hedge against supply‑chain and tariff exposure.

- As production scales, the technology should allow lower Model Y prices, make low‑cost robo‑taxis more practical (thanks to high cycle life), and supply the large volumes needed for products like Cybertruck, Tesla Semi, and Optimus.

Lithium Supply and Strategic Position

- To reduce reliance on Chinese refiners, Tesla built a lithium‑hydroxide refinery in Texas using a cleaner process that yields non‑toxic, sand‑like waste useful in construction, sourcing lithium locally to cut costs and geopolitical risk.

- The video concludes that after roughly five years Tesla has accomplished what many experts once deemed impossible, laying groundwork for more affordable EVs, longer‑lasting batteries, and broad EV adoption at scale.