Tesla has been pretty open about the idea that its next-generation of vehicles and its 20 million EV target for 2030 would rely on its ability to scale its 4680 battery production. This task, at least according to experts, has proven to be especially challenging.
Unveiled during Battery Day nearly two years ago, 4680 cells are expected to provide Tesla with substantial manufacturing cost reductions and efficiencies. According to statements from several experts in the field, the use of larger cells and a dry-coat electrode process could enable Tesla to halve the cost of a Model Y battery.
Twelve experts who are reportedly close to Tesla, or at least familiar with the company’s new battery technology, shared their insights with Reuters. Among the 12 experts, nine reportedly have close ties to Tesla, while three have examined the company’s previous battery technology thoroughly through an extensive teardown.
According to the publication’s sources, Tesla is only halfway towards its goal of successfully rolling out its 4680 cells. While the EV maker already sees benefits from the use of larger cells, Tesla is still reportedly seeing challenges with scaling its dry-coat electrode process.
This, according to the experts, was because Tesla’s dry-coat electrode process is so new and unproven that the company is still having trouble scaling its operations to the point where savings become substantial. Still, the publication’s sources have stated that Tesla would probably still be able to fully implement its 4680 cells’ dry coat electrode process next year.
-->2019 Nobel laureate and lithium-ion battery pioneer Stan Whittingham believes that Tesla would ultimately solve the challenges associated with its 4680 battery production ramp, though he also noted that Elon Musk might have been too optimistic with his target timeframe for the next-generation batteries’ rollout. “I think he will solve it, but it won’t be as quick as he likes. It’s going to take some time to really test it,” Whittingham said.
Reuters‘ sources noted that if all the potential efficiencies from the use of 4680 batteries are realized, the manufacturing cost for the Model Y’s 4680 structural battery could fall to just about $5,000-$5,500 — roughly half the cost of a 2170 pack. So far, Tesla is reportedly seeing about $2,000 to $3,000 worth of cost savings, mainly due to its use of bigger cells.
With Tesla’s 2170 battery packs, the company reportedly uses about 4,400 cells for the Model Y. The 2170 packs also require 17,600 points that need to be welded — about four welds per cell — to create a battery that can be integrated into the all-electric crossover. This is reduced significantly with the use of 4680 cells. The experts noted that Tesla only needs 830 cells for its Model Y 4680 structural pack, and since there are only two weld points for each cell, the total weld points per vehicle drops to just 1,660 points.
But while Tesla has made tons of headway with its 4680 batteries, and while the company already sees savings due to its use of larger cells, the EV maker still needs to master and scale its dry electrode process. Once that’s done, Tesla could effectively attain the holy grail of its next-generation batteries. “Bulking up the battery cell helped a lot in boosting efficiency, but pushing for 50% cost savings for the cell as a whole is another matter. That will depend on whether Tesla can deploy the dry-coating process successfully in a factory,” one of Reuters‘ sources said.
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Tesla Semi factory looks almost complete during Thanksgiving weekend
Based on recent drone videos, the Tesla Semi factory looks practically ready to start operations.
It appears that the Tesla Semi factory near Giga Nevada is already hard at work preparing for the initial production of the Class 8 all-electric truck. This was, at least, hinted at in a recent drone flyover of the facility from a longtime watcher.
The Tesla Semi factory after Thanksgiving
Drone operator and Tesla Semi advocate @HinrichsZane recently shared some footage he captured of the upcoming facility during the Thanksgiving weekend. Based on his video, it appears that Tesla gave its employees in the area the weekend off. One thing is evident from the video, however, and that is the fact that the Tesla Semi factory looks practically ready to start operations.
The Tesla Semi watcher did point out that the electric vehicle maker is still busy bringing in production equipment into the facility itself. Once these are installed, it would not be surprising if initial production of the Tesla Semi begins.
A new Tesla Semi
The upcoming completion of the Tesla Semi factory near Gigafactory Nevada seems all but inevitable in the coming months. What would be especially interesting, however, would be the vehicles that would be produced on the site. During Elon Musk’s presentation at the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, a glimpse of the production Tesla Semi was shown, and it looks quite a bit different than the Class 8 all-electric truck’s classic appearance.
As could be seen in the graphic from the CEO’s presentation, the updated Tesla Semi will feature slim lightbar headlights similar to the new Tesla Model Y, Cybertruck, and the Cybercab. Tesla also teased a number of aerodynamic improvements that increased the truck’s efficiency to 1.7 kWh per mile. Extended camera units, seemingly for FSD, could also be seen in the graphic.
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Tesla scores major hire as Apple scientist moves to Optimus team
Chen, who advanced from individual contributor to technical lead during his time at Apple, noted that he was blown away by Tesla’s efforts and synergy.
Former Apple research scientist Yilun Chen has left the tech giant to join Tesla’s Optimus AI team. Chen, who advanced from individual contributor to technical lead during his time at Apple, noted that he was blown away by Tesla’s efforts and synergy.
Apple veteran closes a major chapter
In a farewell note, Yilun Chen reflected on his tenure at Apple as a period defined by rapid growth and exposure to notable internal projects, some of which remain unreleased. His roles spanned engineering, research, early product incubation, and hands-on prototyping, allowing him to build expertise across both mature and emerging teams.
Chen credited mentors, colleagues, and cross-functional collaborators for shaping his trajectory, calling the experience unforgettable and emphasizing how each team taught him different lessons about scaling technology, guiding product vision, and navigating fast-moving research environments. “Each role has offered me invaluable unique lessons… My deepest gratitude goes to my colleagues, mentors and friends,” he wrote.
Tesla’s Optimus lab secured the hire
Chen said the move to Tesla was driven by the momentum surrounding Optimus, a humanoid robot powered by LLM-driven reasoning and Physical AI. After visiting Tesla’s Optimus lab, he admitted that he was “totally blown away by the scale and sophistication of the Optimus lab and deep dedication of people when I got to visit the office.”
His first week at Tesla, he noted, involved spontaneous deep-tech discussions, a flat team structure, rapid prototyping cycles, and what he called a “crazy ideas with super-fast iterations” culture. Chen emphasized that the team’s ambition, as well as its belief that humanoid robots are now within reach, creates an energy level that feels aimed at changing the world.
-->“You can feel the energy to change the world here,” he wrote in a post on social media.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk gives nod to SpaceX’s massive, previously impossible feat
It was the booster’s 30th flight, a scenario that seemed impossible before SpaceX became a dominant force in spaceflight.
Elon Musk gave a nod to one of SpaceX’s most underrated feats today. Following the successful launch of the Transporter-15 mission, SpaceX seamlessly landed another Falcon 9 booster on a droneship in the middle of the ocean.
It was the booster’s 30th flight, a scenario that seemed impossible before SpaceX became a dominant force in spaceflight.
Elon Musk celebrates a veteran Falcon 9 booster’s feat
SpaceX completed another major milestone for its Smallsat Rideshare program on Friday, successfully launching and deploying 140 spacecraft aboard a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission, known as Transporter-15, lifted off two days later than planned after a scrub attributed to a ground systems issue, according to SpaceFlight Now. SpaceX confirmed that all payloads designed to separate from the rocket were deployed as planned.
The Falcon 9 used for this flight was booster B1071, one of SpaceX’s most heavily flown rockets. With its 30th mission completed, it becomes the second booster in SpaceX’s fleet to reach that milestone. B1071’s manifest includes five National Reconnaissance Office missions, NASA’s SWOT satellite, and several previous rideshare deployments, among others. Elon Musk celebrated the milestone on X, writing “30 flights of the same rocket!” in his post.
Skeptics once dismissed reusability as unfeasible
While rocket landings are routine for SpaceX today, that was not always the case. Industry veterans previously questioned whether reusable rockets could ever achieve meaningful cost savings or operational reliability, often citing the Space Shuttle’s partial reusability as evidence of failure.
-->In 2016, Orbital ATK’s Ben Goldberg argued during a panel that even if rockets could be reusable, they do not make a lot of sense. He took issue with Elon Musk’s claims at the time, Ars Technica reported, particularly when the SpaceX founder stated that fuel costs account for just a fraction of launch costs.
Goldberg noted that at most, studies showed only a 30% cost reduction for low-Earth orbit missions by using a reusable rocket. “You’re not going to get 100-fold. These numbers aren’t going to change by an order of magnitude. They’re just not. That’s the state of where we are today,” he said.
Former NASA official Dan Dumbacher, who oversaw the Space Launch System, expressed similar doubts in 2014, implying that if NASA couldn’t make full reusability viable, private firms like SpaceX faced steep odds.
Tesla Semi factory looks almost complete during Thanksgiving weekend
Tesla scores major hire as Apple scientist moves to Optimus team
