After four years of delays and a stern warning from CEO Elon Musk, Tesla's long-awaited 4680-cell battery is finally ready for production.
This breakthrough comes after Musk threatened to scrap the entire project if no progress was made by the end of the year, according to Boosted.
Tesla originally planned to launch the 4680 battery four years ago, but development stalled.
While a partial version of the battery was included in the new Cybertruck, the full rollout had been slow.
The delay was mainly due to challenges in manufacturing the battery's electrodes, which initially required a costly drying process using large ovens.
However, Tesla's engineers have now developed a dry electrode, allowing them to move forward with production. According to a LinkedIn post by Tesla production engineer Cole Otto, the company is on track to begin mass-producing the 4680-cell battery before the end of the year.
Tesla is not alone in this race. Competitors like LG and Panasonic have also announced plans to start producing similar batteries around the same time. This competition could be good news for consumers, potentially leading to more affordable electric vehicles.
However, while battery production costs have decreased, it doesn't necessarily mean that electric car prices will drop anytime soon. Some brands, like Mercedes, still believe that electric cars won't be able to compete with traditional diesel or petrol vehicles in terms of price for a while.
For now, Tesla’s successful development of the 4680 battery is a significant step forward, but it remains to be seen how it will impact the broader market.
