Tesla took a first look at its new tabless battery cell, dubbed 4680, and the Roadrunner production line which, according to CEO Elon Musk, ‘will make big cars the way cars are made’.
The tabless battery was first revealed in September during the company’s Battery Day, but was only shown by Musk through a PowerPoint presentation.
Now, it’s time for Musk to show the world what Tesla is working on at its pilot battery plant in Fremont, Texas.
The one-minute clip shows the white and blue battery moving through different stages of assembly with the help of armed and wheeled robots.
Tesla also took the opportunity to announce that it is accepting applications for manufacturing jobs at its planned battery facilities in Berlin and Texas.
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Tesla took a first look at its new tabless battery cell, dubbed 4680, and the Roadrunner production line
The tabless cell was unveiled in September 2020 on Telsa’s Battery Day, which was considered a failure after Musk promised to cut electric costs so radically that a $ 25,000 autonomous electric car would be possible – but revealed that it wouldn’t happen for at least three years.
At the event, Musk also said that 4680 was being produced at low volumes at a ‘pilot plant’ in Fremont, Texas, but the video suggests that the plant is expanding and the company is looking to fill vacancies.
The job advertisement says Tesla is looking to hire employees in engineering, manufacturing, materials, equipment and operations.
Along with the video, Musk also says that Roadrunner’s production line is inspired by high-volume industries, such as food and beverages, medical devices and toys.
Elon Musk compared Tesla’s battery production line to that used by toy manufacturers and responded to a tweet saying that with the machine the company will ‘make big cars the same way’
The one-minute clip shows the white and blue battery moving through different stages of assembly with the help of armed and wheeled robots
Along with the video, Musk also says that Roadrunner’s production line is inspired by high-volume industries such as food and beverages, medical devices and toys
Musk said in September that removing the guides from a battery allows for continuous movement through the system, which provides six times the energy and allows a 16% increase in vehicle range.
The tabless battery, called the 4860, reportedly makes the company’s electronic vehicles five times more energy-dense, six times more powerful and increases range by 16%.
For the project, Tesla took the existing sheets of traditional batteries and created a laser pattern to form dozens of connections in the material.
In addition to bringing benefits to vehicles, the design is easier to manufacture, needs fewer parts and, without flaps, has a shorter electrical path.
The tabless battery, called the 4860, reportedly makes the company’s electronic vehicles five times more energy-dense, six times more powerful and increases range by 16 percent
The video gives the audience a first look at Telsa’s production line inside its pilot plant located in Freemont, Texas, which is used specifically to make 4680 tabless batteries
By reducing the distance the electron has to travel, the cell has fewer thermal problems and a shorter path in a cell without a larger table, according to Musk, who explained that although the cell is larger, it measures 80 millimeters in length, the power to weight ratio is better than a smaller cell with guides.
“This is very difficult to do,” said Musk.
– Nobody did that before. So … It really took a huge effort within Tesla’s engineering to find out how we can make a cell without a table and actually make it work and connect it to the top cover. ‘
However, when the CEO took the stage on Tesla’s Battery Day, he only presented a PowerPoint presentation and not a physical cell.
“Nothing Musk discussed about batteries is a closed deal,” said Craig Irwin, an analyst at Roth Capital Partners. “There was nothing tangible.”
The way the Roadrunner production line is designed cuts manufacturing costs by 56 percent
Some compared the Roadrunner to the bottling system used by Coca-Cola
Investors expected two significant announcements on Musk’s much-touted ‘Battery Day’: the development of a ‘million mile’ battery valid for 10 years or more and a specific cost reduction target – expressed in dollars per kilowatt hour – that finally reduce the price of an electric vehicle below that of a gasoline car.
Musk offered neither. Instead, over the next few years he promised to cut battery costs in half with new technologies and processes and deliver an ‘affordable’ electric car.
“In three years … we can make a $ 25,000 car that will be basically at the same level, maybe a little better than a comparable gasoline car,” said Musk.
Musk acknowledged that Tesla does not have its ambitious vehicle and battery designs and manufacturing processes fully completed. Tesla has often missed production targets set by Musk.
Tesla expects to be able to build up to 20 million electric vehicles a year.