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Tesla’s 4680 battery ramp may experience a “Death Valley” start, but it will be overcome: expert
To state that Tesla’s future lies in the success or failure of the 4680 battery is not an understatement. Without 4680 cells, Tesla’s efforts to create an affordable car at a price point beneath the Model 3 would likely be for naught. But if the company succeeds in ramping the production of its 4680 cells, Tesla could very well pave the way for electric vehicles to become the dominant form of personal transportation in the decades to come.
Getting there would not be easy. Tesla formally announced its 4680 battery project in September 2020, and since then, the company has been working hard to ramp the production of the next-generation cell. Tesla produced its one millionth 4680 cell in January. That’s a milestone on its own, but it does show that the company still has a long way to go before it can fully ramp its new battery.
Industry researcher Benchmark Mineral Intelligence estimates that one million 4680 cells are enough for just about 1,200 Model Ys. Tesla intends to produce far more than that per week in Gigafactory Texas alone.
Tesla’s 4680 cells are not designed like conventional batteries, and they are not made like traditional cells either. Tesla plans to use a new manufacturing technology called dry electrode coating, which was obtained from the company’s acquisition of Maxwell Technologies in 2019. Dry electrode manufacturing would allow Tesla to skip a conventional step in traditional battery production, which should lower costs significantly.
While Tesla acquired the technology, the innovations involved in the mass-production of 4680 cells using dry electrode coating are a massive challenge. Elon Musk has noted that the factory equipment for the process alone “doesn’t exist,” so they still have to be made.
-->Shirley Meng, a University of Chicago professor who previously worked with Maxwell, noted that Tesla’s 4680 battery efforts could change the industry. She also emphasized that Tesla’s challenges in mass-producing the next-generation battery would be immense. “He (Elon Musk) is changing the way how battery manufacturing is done. It’s really, really difficult to manufacture at a speed and at scale,” she said. She also stated that Tesla may have to experience a “Death Valley” start to scaling up the dry electrode process for 4680 cells.
She does, however, believe that Tesla would overcome these difficulties.
Other experts and longtime followers of the company seem to agree on the difficulty involved in developing and ramping a new type of battery cell. Caspar Rawles, chief data officer at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, noted that fine-tuning the production equipment for battery production alone is an extremely long process, and one that challenges even the industry’s veterans. “There’s a very long process of fine-tuning the equipment before you can get to volume production. Battery production is hard, even hard for experienced suppliers,” he said.
This definitely seems to be the case with Panasonic. The Japanese tech conglomerate has been a longtime partner of Tesla, and it already operates Gigafactory Nevada with the EV maker. However, recent comments from Kazuo Tadanobu, the CEO of Panasonic’s energy division, revealed that even Panasonic had to take its time to develop its 4680 batteries. Tadanobu noted that Tesla has already deemed Panasonic’s 4680 cells viable for use, but mass production of the new batteries is still expected to start by the fiscal year ending in March 2024.
Tesla’s 4680 cells are expected to be used in vehicles like the Tesla Semi, the Cybertruck, and the company’s flagship supercar, the new Roadster. The next-generation batteries are also expected to be utilized in Tesla’s next big project, the production of an affordable $25,000 electric car.
-->*Quotes courtesy of Reuters.
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Elon Musk makes a key Tesla Optimus detail official
“Since we are naming the singular, we will also name the plural, so Optimi it is,” Musk wrote on X.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk just made a key detail about Optimus official. In a post on X, the CEO clarified some key wording about Optimus, which should help the media and the public become more familiar with the humanoid robot.
Elon Musk makes Optimus’ plural term official
Elon Musk posted a number of Optimus-related posts on X this weekend. On Saturday, he stated that Optimus would be the Von Neumann probe, a machine that could eventually be capable of replicating itself. This capability, it seems, would be the key to Tesla achieving Elon Musk’s ambitious Optimus production targets.
Amidst the conversations about Optimus on X, a user of the social media platform asked the CEO what the plural term for the humanoid robot will be. As per Musk, Tesla will be setting the plural term for Optimus since the company also decided on the robot’s singular term. “Since we are naming the singular, we will also name the plural, so Optimi it is,” Musk wrote in his reply on X.
This makes it official. For media outlets such as Teslarati, numerous Optimus bots are now called Optimi. It rolls off the tongue pretty well, too.
Optimi will be a common sight worldwide
While Musk’s comment may seem pretty mundane to some, it is actually very important. Optimus is intended to be Tesla’s highest volume product, with the CEO estimating that the humanoid robot could eventually see annual production rates in the hundreds of millions, perhaps even more. Since Optimi will be a very common sight worldwide, it is good that people can now get used to terms describing the humanoid robot.
-->During the Tesla 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, Musk stated that the humanoid robot will see “the fastest production ramp of any product of any large complex manufactured product ever,” starting with a one-million-Optimi-per-year production line at the Fremont Factory. Giga Texas would get an even bigger Optimus production line, which should be capable of producing tens of millions of Optimi per year.
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Tesla is improving Giga Berlin’s free “Giga Train” service for employees
With this initiative, Tesla aims to boost the number of Gigafactory Berlin employees commuting by rail while keeping the shuttle free for all riders.
Tesla will expand its factory shuttle service in Germany beginning January 4, adding direct rail trips from Berlin Ostbahnhof to Giga Berlin-Brandenburg in Grünheide.
With this initiative, Tesla aims to boost the number of Gigafactory Berlin employees commuting by rail while keeping the shuttle free for all riders.
New shuttle route
As noted in a report from rbb24, the updated service, which will start January 4, will run between the Berlin Ostbahnhof East Station and the Erkner Station at the Gigafactory Berlin complex. Tesla stated that the timetable mirrors shift changes for the facility’s employees, and similar to before, the service will be completely free. The train will offer six direct trips per day as well.
“The service includes six daily trips, which also cover our shift times. The trains will run between Berlin Ostbahnhof (with a stop at Ostkreuz) and Erkner station to the Gigafactory,” Tesla Germany stated.
Even with construction continuing at Fangschleuse and Köpenick stations, the company said the route has been optimized to maintain a predictable 35-minute travel time. The update follows earlier phases of Tesla’s “Giga Train” program, which initially connected Erkner to the factory grounds before expanding to Berlin-Lichtenberg.
-->Tesla pushes for majority rail commuting
Tesla began production at Grünheide in March 2022, and the factory’s workforce has since grown to around 11,500 employees, with an estimated 60% commuting from Berlin. The facility produces the Model Y, Tesla’s best-selling vehicle, for both Germany and other territories.
The company has repeatedly emphasized its goal of having more than half its staff use public transportation rather than cars, positioning the shuttle as a key part of that initiative. In keeping with the factory’s sustainability focus, Tesla continues to allow even non-employees to ride the shuttle free of charge, making it a broader mobility option for the area.
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Tesla Model 3 and Model Y dominate China’s real-world efficiency tests
The Tesla Model 3 posted 20.8 kWh/100 km while the Model Y followed closely at 21.8 kWh/100 km.
Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y once again led the field in a new real-world energy-consumption test conducted by China’s Autohome, outperforming numerous rival electric vehicles in controlled conditions.
The results, which placed both Teslas in the top two spots, prompted Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun to acknowledge Tesla’s efficiency advantage while noting that his company’s vehicles will continue refining its own models to close the gap.
Tesla secures top efficiency results
Autohome’s evaluation placed all vehicles under identical conditions, such as a full 375-kg load, cabin temperature fixed at 24°C on automatic climate control, and a steady cruising speed of 120 km/h. In this environment, the Tesla Model 3 posted 20.8 kWh/100 km while the Model Y followed closely at 21.8 kWh/100 km, as noted in a Sina News report.
These figures positioned Tesla’s vehicles firmly at the top of the ranking and highlighted their continued leadership in long-range efficiency. The test also highlighted how drivetrain optimization, software management, and aerodynamic profiles remain key differentiators in high-speed, cold-weather scenarios where many electric cars struggle to maintain low consumption.
Xiaomi’s Lei Jun pledges to continue learning from Tesla
Following the results, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun noted that the Xiaomi SU7 actually performed well overall but naturally consumed more energy due to its larger C-segment footprint and higher specification. He reiterated that factors such as size and weight contributed to the difference in real-world consumption compared to Tesla. Still, the executive noted that Xiaomi will continue to learn from the veteran EV maker.
“The Xiaomi SU7’s energy consumption performance is also very good; you can take a closer look. The fact that its test results are weaker than Tesla’s is partly due to objective reasons: the Xiaomi SU7 is a C-segment car, larger and with higher specifications, making it heavier and naturally increasing energy consumption. Of course, we will continue to learn from Tesla and further optimize its energy consumption performance!” Lei Jun wrote in a post on Weibo.
-->Lei Jun has repeatedly described Tesla as the global benchmark for EV efficiency, previously stating that Xiaomi may require three to five years to match its leadership. He has also been very supportive of FSD, even testing the system in the United States.
Elon Musk makes a key Tesla Optimus detail official
Tesla is improving Giga Berlin’s free “Giga Train” service for employees
