Tesla has first looked at its new tabless battery cell, called 4680, and the Roadrunner production line that, according to CEO Elon Musk, will “ make full-size cars in the same way that 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 has been working on at its pilot battery plant in Fremont, Texas.
The one-minute clip shows how the white and blue battery moves through different stages of assembly using armed and wheeled robots.
Tesla also took this opportunity to announce that it is taking applications for production jobs at its planned battery facilities in Berlin and Texas.
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Tesla first looked at its new battery cell without tab, called 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 electrical costs so radically that a $ 25,000 self-driving electric car would be possible – but revealed it wouldn’t. for at least three years.
At the event, Musk also said that 4680 was being produced in low volumes at a ‘pilot plant’ in Fremont, Texas, but the video suggests that the plant is expanding and the company is looking for positions.
According to the vacancy, Tesla is looking for people to hire engineering, manufacturing, materials, equipment and operations.
Along with the video, Musk also says the Roadrunner production line takes inspiration from high volume industries such as food and beverage, medical equipment and toys.
Elon Musk compared Tesla’s battery production line to that of toy manufacturers, replying to a tweet saying the company will “ make great cars in the same way with the machine. ”
The one-minute clip shows how the white and blue battery moves through different stages of assembly using armed and wheeled robots
Along with the video, Musk also says the Roadrunner production line takes inspiration from high-volume industries such as food and beverages, medical equipment and toys.
Musk said in September that eliminating the tabs on a battery allows continuous movement through the system, which delivers six times the power and allows for a 16 percent range for vehicles.
The tabless battery, dubbed the 4860, would make the company’s electronic vehicles five times more energy-dense and six times more powerful, and increase range by 16 percent.
For the design, Tesla took the existing foils from traditional batteries and created a laser pattern to form dozens of connections in the material.
Not only does it provide benefits for vehicles, but its design is easier to manufacture, requires fewer parts, and has a shorter electrical path length without tabs.
The tabless battery, dubbed 4860, would make the company’s electronic vehicles five times more energy density and six times more powerful, and increase range by 16 percent.
The video gives the audience a first look at Telsa’s production line at the Freemont, Texas pilot plant, used specifically to make the 4680 tabless batteries.
By reducing the distance the electron has to travel, the cell has fewer thermal problems and a shorter path length in a larger cell without tabs, said Musk, who explained that while the cell is larger, it is 80 millimeters long, the ability to weight ratio is better than a smaller tabbed cell.
“This is pretty hard to do,” Musk said.
‘No one has done it before. So … It really took a tremendous amount of effort within Tesla engineering to figure out how to make a struggling cell without tabs and actually make it work and connect to the cap. ‘
However, when the CEO took the stage during Tesla’s Battery Day, he presented only a PowerPoint presentation and not a physical cell.
“Nothing Musk discussed about batteries is a foregone conclusion,” said Roth Capital Partners analyst Craig Irwin. “There was nothing tangible.”
The way the Roadrunner production line was designed would cut production costs by 56 percent
Some have compared the Roadrunner to the bottling system used by Coca-Cola
Investors had expected two major announcements on Musk’s oft-touted ‘Battery Day’: the development of a ‘million mile’ battery that will last 10 years or more, and a specific cost reduction target – expressed in dollars per kilowatt hour – that will ultimately lower the price of an electric car to below that of a petrol car.
Musk offered neither. Instead, he pledged to cut battery costs in half over the next few years with new technology and processes, and to deliver an ‘affordable’ electric car.
“In three years … we can make a $ 25,000 car that will be essentially equal to, maybe slightly better than a comparable gasoline car,” Musk said.
Musk acknowledged that Tesla has not fully completed its ambitious new vehicle and battery designs and manufacturing processes. Tesla has regularly missed Musk production targets.
Tesla expects to be able to build as many as 20 million electric cars per year in the long term.