Connect with us
tesla 4680 tesla 4680

News

Tesla’s 4680 Kato Rd. facility has a top 10 capacity, and it’s not even close to finished

Credit: Tesla/YouTube

Published

on

Tesla CEO Elon Musk disclosed some details about the electric automaker’s 4680 cell plant last week. After stating that the facility is “probably in the top 10 battery cell factories on Earth despite being a pilot plant,” speculation began about how massive Tesla’s new facility that sits just across the street from the Fremont production facility is. Although it is in the top 10, it’s not even close to finished.

Tesla’s introduction of the 4680 battery cell came in September 2020 at the Battery Day event. Musk and others outlined the company’s roadmap for global EV dominance through the most important part of an electric car: the cell. The new cell has 500% more energy, six times the power of the old 2170 cells, and also offers dramatic range increases for more drive time between charges. It was truly revolutionary because Tesla is already the most notable company in electric cars.

With a considerable lead in the EV sector, Tesla was effectively announcing, “eat our (sustainable) dust” after showing the new 4680 cells. Some were skeptical, believing that the new cell wouldn’t be available for some time. Musk immediately silenced those doubts, indicating that the new cells had been deployed in working vehicles for months.

Credit: Tesla

The point is, the Kato Road facility, as it is widely known as, is one of the largest facilities in the world. While we are not sure what the current capacity is, if it is a top 10 facility in terms of capacity, we can speculate how big it may be.

According to Argus Media, the 10 largest battery cell plants range from 24 GWh per year to 70 GWh per year. The largest, an LG Chem facility in Wroclaw, Poland, has the 70 GWh capacity, leading BYD’s Qinghai, China plant by 10 GWh. Tesla and Panasonic’s joint venture at Gigafactory 1 in Nevada is a 35 GWh per year facility, making it the fifth-largest plant globally.

Credit: Argus Research

Because Tesla’s Kato Road facility is a pilot plant, we can likely assume that it is within the bottom half of this list. Especially with Gigafactory 1 being the fifth-largest, it is very likely that Kato Road is simply not producing as many cells or as much battery capacity as Giga 1, but it’s not to say that this won’t happen. The issue is that Tesla is still battery constrained, even with a large-scale facility in Nevada and with several third-party manufacturers pumping cells to the automaker at a massive rate. Kato Road will contribute to the solution to the constrained problem, and the facility will likely be significantly larger than Giga 1, considering the projects that Tesla plans to fulfill with the 4680 cells, the largest being the Tesla Semi.

The Semi is still not ready for production, Musk said on the Q4 Earnings Call last week. “We will have cells group in ourselves for Semi when we were producing the 4680 volume. But for example, Semi would use typically five times the number of cells that a car would use, but it would not sell for five times what a car would sell for. So it kind of doesn’t make…it would not make sense for us to do the Semi right now,” Musk said. The issue is cell availability, and since the Semi is going to equip Tesla’s newest 4680 project, it is safe to assume that Kato Road still has some expanding to do. If it is already a top 10 facility, yet it is still not ready to take on the massive Semi task, along with all of the other vehicles it will eventually fulfill, Kato Road may become a top 3 facility.

Advertisement

Ultimately, Tesla requires more cells. With no plans to eliminate purchases from third-party suppliers in the near-term, Tesla wants to increase purchases from those suppliers. CATL, Panasonic, and LG Chem could supply Tesla with more batteries moving forward, even with the Kato Road facility’s expansion and ramping up. The fact is, Tesla isn’t done solving the battery constraint issue, and it could battle with it for years to come. However, it won’t stop production from increasing because more cells are becoming available almost every day through supplier deals, increased outputs, and in-house manufacturing advancements, all of which make Tesla the company to beat for the foreseeable future.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

Advertisement
Comments

Elon Musk

Tesla Robotaxis are becoming a common sight on Austin’s public roads

Tesla Robotaxi sightings are becoming much more frequent ahead of its launch planned for this month.

Published

on

Credit: @Muzeishen | X

Tesla Robotaxis are becoming a common sight on the public roads of Austin, Texas, as yet another test mule has been spotted near the company’s target launch date.

Just over a week ago, the first public sighting of a driverless Tesla Robotaxi was reported. The vehicle was an updated version of the Tesla Model Y, which will be the initial model used in the public deployment of the Robotaxi platform.

Throughout the past week, sightings have been more common, as people in Austin have been looking for the unique decal Tesla is placing on car doors to recognize the driverless vehicles (After all, Robotaxis are not as easy to recognize as driverless vehicles without the LIDAR unit on the roof like Waymo).

Yet another sighting of a Robotaxi was shared on social media today, just two days before CEO Elon Musk’s proposed launch date of June 22:

It is easy to tell that there is nobody in the driver’s seat of this vehicle. Tesla is using its white interior on this particular mule, making it incredibly simple to recognize that no human is controlling the car.

Whether Tesla will still meet the June 22nd deadline remains to be seen, but it is no secret that the company is prioritizing safety ahead of offering public rides.

Tesla will initially roll out the Robotaxi platform in Austin, but it has already started the regulatory process in other areas, specifically California.

Advertisement

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is also helping to streamline the process for companies developing driverless vehicles by giving exemptions to automakers. It will make things much more efficient, benefiting Tesla and other car companies that have similar plans.

Tesla Robotaxi just got a big benefit from the U.S. government

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Elon Musk teases Tesla Optimus Gen 3 capabilities: ‘So many improvements’

If you thought Optimus Gen 2 was impressive, Tesla might have a surprise for you.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla Optimus | X

Elon Musk has teased that huge improvements are coming to Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot, which is arguably the product that the company is developing with the most potential for everyday use by consumers and valuation increases from a financial perspective.

Optimus is still in the development stages, but Tesla has made great strides in its development over the past several years. It started as a simple idea that was unveiled with a human being in a spandex suit.

Tesla posts Optimus’ most impressive video demonstration yet

Just a few years later, Tesla has developed several humanoid robot prototypes that have made their way to influencers and have lent a helping hand around the company’s manufacturing facilities.

Tesla has already introduced two generations of Optimus, as the most recent release featured a vast number of improvements from the initial version.

Advertisement

The following is a list of things Tesla improved upon with Optimus Gen 2 compared to Gen 1:

  • Tesla introduced a weight reduction of roughly 22 pounds, improving efficiency and agility
  • Optimus Gen 2 had a walking speed that improved by 30 percent over Gen 1
  • Tesla developed more capable hands that had 22 degrees of freedom, double that of Gen 1. This improved object handling
  • Optimus Gen 2 had a 2-degree-of-freedom neck, as Gen 1’s was fixed
  • Tesla integrated actuators and sensors for better performance. This includes things like foot force/torque sensing, articulated toe sections that are close to human foot geometry for better balance and movement
  • Optimus Gen 2 has 28 degrees of overall freedom, improving flexibility from the first generation
  • Tesla’s Optimus Gen 2 can do more than Gen 1, and has shown improved motor control and precision, doing things like squats, yoga poses, dancing, and even poaching an egg

These changes essentially brought Tesla closer to what will be the Optimus version that makes it to production. The company has plans to start production for the public in 2026, but some units will be manufactured for internal use within its factories as soon as this year. Tesla has said it could scale to 100,000 units or more by next year.

Musk also revealed to Teslarati recently that the company is in the process of building the production line that will bring manufacturing rates of Optimus to that level.

However, there is another design of Optimus coming, and Musk says it will feature “so many improvements”:

Advertisement

Tesla has said that Optimus will have the capability to perform tedious and time-consuming tasks like folding laundry, babysitting, cooking, walking the dog, and plenty of other things. However, it will be super impressive to see it do things that require true coordination, like threading a needle, for example.

Musk did not hint toward any specific developments that Tesla will aim for with Optimus Gen 3, but the sky is the limit, especially as it will be performing some manufacturing tasks across its factories.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Elon Musk slams Bloomberg’s shocking xAI cash burn claims

Musk stated that “Bloomberg is talking nonsense.”

Published

on

Credit: xAI/X

Elon Musk has forcefully rejected Bloomberg News’ claims that his artificial intelligence startup, xAI, is hemorrhaging $1 billion monthly. 

In a post on X, Musk stated that “Bloomberg is talking nonsense.” He also acknowledged an X user’s comment that people “really have no idea what’s at stake” with AI.

Bloomberg‘s Allegations and Musk’s Rebuttal

The Bloomberg News report painted a dire picture of xAI’s finances. Citing people reportedly familiar with the matter, the news outlet claimed that xAI burns $1 billion a month as costs for building advanced AI models outpaced the company’s limited revenues. 

Bloomberg alleged that xAI is planning to spend over half of a proposed $9.3 billion fundraising haul in three months, with a projected $13 billion loss in 2025. The report also claimed that of the $14 billion that xAI has raised since 2023, only $4 billion remained by Q1 2025. Even this amount, the news outlet alleged, will be nearly depleted in Q2.

xAI did not comment on Bloomberg‘s claims, though Elon Musk shared his thoughts on the matter on social media platform X. In response to an X user who quoted the publication’s article, Musk noted that “Bloomberg is talking nonsense.” Musk, however, did not provide further details as to why the publication’s report was fallacious.

Advertisement

xAI’s Bright Horizon

Despite Bloomberg‘s claims, even the publication noted that xAI’s prospects are promising. The company, now merged with X, aims to leverage the platform’s vast data archives for model training, which could reduce costs compared to rivals like OpenAI. Tapping into X also allows xAI to access real-time information from users across the globe. 

xAI’s valuation reportedly soared to $80 billion by Q1 2025, up from $51 billion in 2024. The AI startup has attracted heavyweight investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and VY Capital so far, and optimistic projections point to profitability possibly being attained by 2027. This would be quite a feat for xAI as OpenAI, the AI startup’s biggest rival, is still looking at 2029 as the year it could become cash flow positive.

Continue Reading

Trending