The launch of the Cybertruck provided updated information about the Tesla 4680 battery details. Tesla with the 4680 format is intends to use gigawatts of batteries for its vehicles, to enable structural battery packs to reduce car weight, increasing range along with faster charging and longer life.
Information comes from a variety of sources from commentators on X.
Energy density at the pack level:
| Vehicle | Battery Type | Energy Density (Wh/kg) | Estimated Battery Cycles | Warranty Miles (km) | Warranty Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model S/X | 18650 | 187 | 500 | 150,000 | 8 Years |
| Tesla Cybertruck | 4680 | 170 | 500 | 150,000 | 8 Years |
| Model 3/Y Long Range | 2170 | 165 | 120,000 | 8 Years | |
| Rivian R1T Large Pack | 2170 | 169 | 120,000 | 8 Years | |
| Rivian R1T Max Pack | 2170 | 182 | 500 | 120,000 | 8 Years |
| Tesla Model 3 Standard Range | LFP | 126 | 1,000 | 100,000 | 8 Years |
Details of Warranties and Lifecycles
Jon of CleanerWatt interesting that Tesla’s battery warranty is basically 375-500 cycles regardless of form factor and chemistry:
Assessing Tesla 4680 Battery Details
Kruuk on X https://x.com/kruuk/status/1732080239193288856?s=20 summed up Tesla’s focus on the 4680.
The 4860 is the cell format designed for cost efficiency, not density, not power, or easy thermal management.
The efficiency is achieved by:
- Smaller number of cells in the battery (bigger cell).
- High manufacturing rate regarding produced capacity output (big, cylindrical cell).
- Small factory footprint and investment (cylindrical, dry electrodes).
- Structural load capacity to reduce the car’s weight and complexity (cylindrical thick wall).
As in any technology, some disadvantages primarily manifest themselves in lower energy density:
- More difficult heat transfer and cooling (big cell).
- Lower pack density (cylindrical geometry).
- Chemistry difficulty (dry electrodes).
So, the quite high density and marvelous power/thermal efficiency demonstrated in multiple Beast’s runs shows that Tesla did a really good job with the battery, even if it is below the expectations of the less knowledgeable public.
Tesla is ramping up production of 4680 in Texas, Shanghai and Berlin as are manufactuers such as Panason and it may use the 4680 as supply grows.
References
Troy Teslike Twitter https://x.com/TroyTeslike/status/1731891364084773341?s=20
Rivian Details
Updates 2024 on Gen 3 4680’s
A post by The Limiting Factory (https://x.com/LimitingThe/status/1742726520303415632?s=20)
- Tesla is working in cutting over from an NMC811 cathode to an NMC955 cathode. That means increasing the Nickel content from 80% to 90% and decreasing the cobalt and manganese from 10% to 5%.
- They’re also testing NMC973 for potential use in cells by the end of the year. I’m assuming that’s 90% Nickel, 7% Manganese, and 3% Cobalt.
- They’re also working on an assymetric lamination technique of the dry coated electrode, where one side of the copper and aluminum foils is coated more thickly with anode or cathode materials than the other side.
- Based on discussion, it indicates the 4680 will receive another 10-20% energy density increase.
