News
An inside look at Tesla’s P100D battery pack: more cells, 102 kWh capacity, backwards compatibility in mind
New details of Tesla’s mysterious P100D battery pack, which Tesla CTO JB Straubel once described as having notable changes in battery module and pack technology, and a “complete redo on the cooling architecture”, have emerged thanks to Jason Hughes’s latest project.
Hughes posted photos of a dismantled 100 kWh battery pack, which he obtained through the purchase of a salvaged Tesla P100D, that reveal an increase in the number of 18650 lithium-ion cells being packed within each battery module. Hughes also discovered a surprising increase in battery capacity beyond 100 kWh, and what appears to be a replaceable connector that allows Tesla to retrofit older vehicles with the newer battery pack.
More 18650 Battery Cells
As outlined in Hughes’s blog post, Tesla was able to fit more of its cylindrical 18650 lithium-ion battery cells into each of the 16 modules making up the P100D battery pack. It’s worth noting that Tesla has maintained a relatively similar form factor on battery packs produced for Model S and Model X vehicles since their introduction. Regardless of the vehicle’s model version – be it a P85, a 60, 75D, or 90D – the uniform skateboard design of the battery pack allows for ease of production, as Tesla can manufacture a single-style pack that can be installed across its fleet of vehicles. Under that same notion, Tesla has also been able to create ‘unlockable features’ by software limiting vehicle range depending on the option purchased by the customer. In other words, Tesla installs the same battery pack into like-kind vehicles (e.g. Model S 60 uses the same pack as Model S 75).

Tesla P85 battery pack module vs. P100D module [Credit: Jason Hughes via @wk057]
Hughes’s dissection of the P100D battery shows that Tesla leveraged the same design concept by distributing a total of 8,256 battery cells across the 16 modules making up the battery pack, bringing total capacity up to the advertised 100 kWh number. However, and much to Hughes’s surprise – he had previously criticized Tesla for providing less battery capacity than what’s perceived by way of the vehicle’s nameplate – Tesla actually provided 102.4 kWh of capacity on the P100D pack, representing a 2.4% increase over what’s marketed.
Backwards Compatible Design
Tesla has also, seemingly, taken into account the ability to retrofit new battery packs onto older vehicles by using the same high and low-voltage connectors across packs. According to Hughes, “the pack itself has the same high-voltage connection, the same low voltages connectors, and the same cooling connector.” However, Hughes notes that there’s subtle changes on the P100D pack that would require a new part in order for it to be retrofittable onto non-P100D vehicles.
“The [P100D] pack has the newer ring around the high-voltage connector. So, it’s plug-and-play (for the most part, firmware and config changes needed) on the Model X and refreshed Model S, however it would require a different spacer ring on the high voltage connector. Tesla even has a part number for it, so it should be pretty simple to put into any Model S/X.” says Hughes.
What about that new P100D battery cooling architecture?
Well. It’s not magic. Tesla did improve battery cooling in the new P100D 100 kWh battery pack. And Tesla did provide a redone architecture, but it isn’t one of mythical proportions.
Hughes reveals Tesla’s approach to improve battery pack cooling was to use shorter and thinner cooling loops per battery module, thereby improving the rate of heat dissipation. Unlike most other electric car makers who do not “prime” their vehicle’s batteries through the use of a thermal management system, Tesla pumps fluid through the battery module to regulate the temperature of its battery pack in order to bring them to optimal operating temperatures. By ensuring the lithium-ion cells operate within ideal temperatures, Tesla is able to provide the best performance possible, while ensuring cell longevity.

Tesla P100D battery module cooling loops [Credit: Jason Hughes]
Elon Musk
Tesla says texting and driving capability is coming ‘in a month or two’
“In the next month or two, we’re going to look at the safety statistics, but we’re going to allow you to text and drive, essentially.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that within the next month or two, the company will be able to open the ability for people to text and drive because its Full Self-Driving suite will be robust enough to allow drivers to take their attention away from the road.
In its current state, Tesla Full Self-Driving is a supervised driver assistance suite that requires the vehicle operator to maintain control of the vehicle and pay attention to the road surroundings.
However, the company has been aiming to release a fully autonomous version of the Full Self-Driving suite for years, teasing its future potential and aiming to release a Level 5 suite as soon as possible.
CEO Elon Musk believes the company is on the cusp of something drastic, according to what he said at yesterday’s Annual Shareholder Meeting.
One thing Musk hinted at was that the company should be able to allow those sitting in the driver’s seat of their cars to text and drive “in the next month or two,” as long as the statistics look good.
He said:
“In the next month or two, we’re going to look at the safety statistics, but we’re going to allow you to text and drive, essentially.”
The company recently transitioned to its v14 Full Self-Driving suite, which is its most robust to date, and recently expanded to Cybertruck, completing its rollout across the vehicle lineup.
Currently, Tesla is running v14.1.5, and when major improvements are made, that second number will increase, meaning v14.2 will be the next substantial improvement.
Musk said that v14.3 will be when you can “pretty much fall asleep and wake up at your destination.”
🚨🚨 Elon Musk says Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3 will be when you can “pretty much fall asleep and wake up at your destination.”
We are on v14.1 currently 👀 pic.twitter.com/KMkWh5Qa7T
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 6, 2025
We’ve heard a considerable amount of similar statements in the past, and Tesla owners have been conditioned to take some of these timeframes with autonomous driving with a grain of salt.
However, with the upgrades in FSD over the past few months, especially with the rollout of Robotaxi in Austin, which does not utilize anyone in the driver’s seat for local roads, it does not seem as if autonomy is that far off for Tesla.
News
Tesla Semi undergoes major redesign as dedicated factory preps for deliveries
The Semi has been one of the most anticipated products in the Tesla lineup due to the disruption it could cause in the trucking industry.
Tesla put its all-electric Semi truck through quite a major redesign as its dedicated factory for the vehicle is preparing for initial deliveries to the public starting next year.
The Semi has been one of the most anticipated products in the Tesla lineup due to the disruption it could cause in the trucking industry.
It has already been in numerous pilot programs for some pretty large companies over the past couple of years, PepsiCo. being one of them, and it is moving toward first deliveries to other companies sometime in 2026.
Yesterday at the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, Tesla unveiled its new Semi design, which underwent a pretty significant facelift to match the aesthetic and vibe of the other vehicles in the company’s lineup.
Additionally, Tesla announced some other improvements, including changes to efficiency, and some other changes that we did not get details on yet.
The first change was to the design of the Semi, as Tesla adopted its blade-like light bar for the Class 8 truck, similar to the one that is used on the new Model Y and the Cybertruck:
There also appear to be a handful of design changes that help with aerodynamics, as its efficiency has increased to 1.7 kWh per mile.
Tesla also said it has an increased payload capability, which will help companies to haul more goods per trip.
All of these changes come as the company’s Semi Factory, which is located on the same property as its Gigafactory in Reno, Nevada, is just finishing up. In late October, it was shown that the Semi facility is nearly complete, based on recent drone imagery from factory observer HinrichsZane on X:
The factory will be capable of producing about 50,000 Tesla Semi units annually when it is completely ramped. The company has major plans to help get the Semi in more fleets across the United States.
Other entities are also working to develop a charging corridor for electric Class 8 trucks. The State of California was awarded $102 million to develop a charging corridor that spans from Washington to Southern California.
Another corridor is being developed that spans from Southern California to Texas, and 49 applicants won $636 million from the Department of Transportation for it.
Tesla requested funding for it, but was denied.
The Semi has been a staple in several companies’ fleets over the past few years, most notably that of Frito-Lay and PepsiCo., who have reported positive experiences thus far.
Musk said last year that the Semi had “ridiculous demand.”
News
Tesla Cybercab production starts Q2 2026, Elon Musk confirms
Elon Musk highlighted that the fully autonomous vehicle will be the first Tesla designed specifically for unsupervised self-driving.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that production of the company’s autonomous Cybercab will begin in April 2026, and its production targets will be quite ambitious.
Speaking at Tesla’s 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, Musk highlighted that the fully autonomous vehicle will be the first Tesla designed specifically for unsupervised self-driving.
A robotaxi built for an autonomous world
Musk described the Cybercab as a clean-slate design optimized for autonomy, with no steering wheel, pedals, or side mirrors. “It’s very much optimized for the lowest cost per mile in an autonomous mode,” Musk said, adding that every Tesla produced in recent years already carries the hardware needed for full self-driving.
The Cybercab will be assembled at Giga Texas and will serve as the company’s flagship entry into the commercial robotaxi market. Musk emphasized that the project represents Tesla’s next evolutionary step in combining vehicle manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and mobility services.
One Cybercab every ten seconds
Musk reiterated that the Cybercab’s production process is more closely modeled on consumer electronics assembly than on traditional automotive manufacturing. This should pave the way for outputs that far exceed conventional automotive products.
“That production is happening right here in this factory, and we’ll be starting production in April next year. The manufacturing system is unlike any other car. The manufacturing system of the Cybercab, it’s closer to a high volume consumer electronics device than it is a car manufacturing line. So the net result is that I think we should be able to achieve, I think, ultimately, less than a 10-second cycle time, basically a unit every 10 seconds.
“What that would mean is you could get on a line that would normally produce, say, 500,000 cars a year at a one minute cycle time, Model Y. This would be maybe as much as 2 million or 3 million, maybe ultimately it’s theoretically possible to achieve a 5 million unit production line if you can get to the 5-second cycle time,” the CEO said.
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