Connect with us

News

Tesla shows battery manufacturing lines inspired by other industries in new video

Credit: Tesla

Published

on

Tesla has released a new one-minute long video spot on its YouTube channel, showing the company’s battery cell manufacturing lines. Elon Musk stated that some of the best manufacturing technology is present in other industries, inciting some curiosity that Tesla may have drawn inspiration from other sectors for its battery scaling projects.

It is no secret Tesla has put a major focus on manufacturing efforts. Whether involved in the manufacturing of the vehicle itself or the batteries that power it, Tesla has worked to improve production lines for a more efficient build process that will help the company scale quickly to handle demand increases.

The new video shows plenty of similarities between the cell production lines and what may be used at a Coca-Cola factory. Elon Musk acknowledged the strategies when a follower mentioned them to him. Owen Sparks, a Tesla fan and owner, noticed that Tesla’s battery cell production lines appeared to be similar to bottling processes used by large-scale beverage companies. Musk replied to the Tweet, acknowledging the similarities and commending high-volume industries for inspiring the Tesla battery lines.

“The best manufacturing technology is in high volume industries, like food & beverage, some medical (eg syringes) & toys,” Musk replied.

Advertisement
-

Battery cells are in high demand by many companies aiming to produce electric cars, but Tesla is going a step further. Even though the company sources its cells from Panasonic, LG Chem, and CATL, it aims to build its own batteries at the Kato Road facility near the Fremont factory. Musk detailed Tesla’s battery production efforts at its Battery Day event in September. Even though Tesla is sourcing from third-party suppliers currently, the company may eventually plan to phase it out to control pricing, create better margins through vertical integration, and control supply through demand expectations.

Tesla has gone as far as sourcing its own battery materials, and Musk even hinted that large Nickel mining companies should contact the automaker. The CEO offered a “giant contract” that would last for several years if a sustainable nickel miner came forward. Right now, Tesla’s suppliers are focusing on high-nickel batteries, attempting to relieve the dependency on cobalt.

The most expensive part of an electric vehicle is the battery pack, and longevity depends on battery quality. Tesla has attained a sizeable lead in the sector due to better battery quality and advanced EV tech, but there is always room for improvement. Moving forward, the company would like to mass-produce batteries to get to price parity with gas-powered vehicles. Tesla has laid out a plan with explicit details and claims it will release a $25,000 vehicle within a few years. This ultimately comes down to controlling battery costs, and if Tesla can figure out in-house cell scaling, it will be well on its way to cutting the price of its EVs by a significant margin.

Tesla’s “Making Batteries” video is available below.

Advertisement
-

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

News

Tesla Cybercab fleet doubles to well over 100 units

Published

on

(Credit: Teslarati)

Tesla quietly doubled the size of its Cybercab fleet within the Robotaxi program in Austin, Texas, over the weekend to well over 100 units.

The move not only establishes more of the steering-wheel-less and pedal-less vehicles within the ride-sharing fleet Tesla has been operating for a year, but it also solidifies a more robust Robotaxi fleet as a whole.

Riders started receiving notifications from the Robotaxi app that stated: “Cybercab fleet has doubled: more rides available.”

Tesla first launched rides in the Cybercab in early September, although the Robotaxi fleet has been active for over a year, as rides began last Summer. Cybercab is truly Tesla’s most crucial vehicle release yet, as it is the first car any company has built that is geared toward full-fledged and end-to-end autonomy, never needing human intervention for anything.

Advertisement
-

Only available in Austin at the current time, Cybercab has two seats and has been spotted testing around various U.S. states and regions; Tesla plans to deploy the Cybercab in various U.S. cities in the coming months as a best-case scenario.

Tesla Cybercab gets initial tie-in to localized, in-house cathode plant

The availability of the Cybercab has doubled from just 58 units last Monday to 125 the following Friday. Marking a substantial increase in Cybercab availability, the additional ride-sharing units are more than welcome, as wait times for Cybercabs, especially, were quite high.

The dramatic increase is a sign that demand for Robotaxi is growing and Tesla is feeling more confident that its driverless ride-hailing suite, especially its Full Self-Driving software, is able to handle any traffic situation without explicit direction or supervision from a human being.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla has a ‘no human contact’ approach for Semi production

Published

on

Tesla is advancing a fully automated pipeline for the 4680 battery cells used in its all-electric Semi, spanning production from Giga Texas through shipment and direct consumption on the line at the new dedicated Semi Factory in Sparks, Nevada.

The approach was outlined by Tesla at its September 24 Semi Handover event, which launched high-volume production at its new 1.8-million-square-foot plant in Nevada, which sits adjacent to Gigafactory Nevada and is designed for an annual production rate of 50,000 trucks per year.

After years of pilot builds and what was a four-year-long redesign of the truck, Tesla moved the Semi from 2170 batteries to its in-house 4680 cells, which are made in Austin. The change cuts battery mass and total energy while holding range, a key step in making volume production a realistic possibility.

Cells will leave Giga Texas in trailers, and at the Nevada Semi plant, Tesla intends for a dedicated line to unload those trailers automatically, station the cells, and feed them straight into pack and vehicle assembly.

Both Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, and Dan Priestley, the Head of Tesla’s Semi program, described the goal as a “zero human touch point” from the moment the trailer arrives in Texas until a finished Semi drives off the production line in Nevada.

The unloading system that Moravy and Priestley described is just one piece of a much broader automation push. The plant uses what Tesla calls the highest-capacity electric monorail conveyance in vehicle manufacturing, carrying frames-in-white simultaneously. Powder-coating replaces conventional paint, and many processes that would normally require operators have been designed out.

Tesla has repeatedly said that “the best part is no part,” and the cell-handling plan extends that philosophy from the cell factory floor in Texas all the way to final assembly in Nevada.

If executed as described, the closed-loop flow would reduce labor, handling damage, and inventory buffers while tightening quality control on a component that represents a large share of the truck’s cost and weight. It also shortens the physical and organizational distance between two factories separated by more than 1,200 miles. The Semi itself now shares a bar-wound stator and other components with the Cybertruck, further linking Tesla’s passenger and commercial production systems.

Advertisement
-

High-volume output is expected to ramp gradually after the first trucks left the new line in April 2026. Early customers include PepsiCo, DHL, and U.S. Foods. Whether the automated trailer-to-line process reaches the promised zero-touch standard will be visible in the coming months as production scales. For Tesla, the Semi factory is another test of how far it can push “the machine that builds the machine” across sites.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s AI Grok Bot can now handle banking while your Tesla FSD handles the road

Elon Musk says Grok Bot can manage your finances through linked bank and investment accounts.

Published

on

By

Concept of SuperGrok Bot handling banking in a Tesla via Grok
Concept of SuperGrok Bot handling banking in a Tesla via Grok

Grok Bot now wants access to your wallet, with SpaceXAI rolling out a new Finance integration for its agent platform that lets users link bank, credit card and investment accounts thereby letting their Bots help manage spending, investments and more. Elon Musk amplified the announcement on X with a short endorsement, “Grok Bot can manage your finances.”

The feature builds on two earlier steps. In early September, Grok gained the ability to answer questions about spending, savings, investments and cash flow using accounts connected through Plaid, starting with users in the U.S. Before that, on August 28, SpaceXAI let Grok Bot buy things online through Link, with users approving every spend request and the Bot receiving a single use card for each payment.

Musk has already shown how far he wants users to push it. In late August, when Tesla investor account Teslaconomics said he was weighing whether to give Grok Bot access to his bank accounts, Musk replied, “Try it out. If Grok Bot messes up, we will make you whole.” That promise goes beyond SpaceXAI’s consumer terms, which make users responsible for what their agents do and generally cap the company’s liability at the greater of fees paid or $100. SpaceXAI’s own documentation recommends requiring approval for purchases and financial transfers.

For Tesla owners, the update lands five days after Tesla brought Grok Bot into its vehicles, letting drivers hand off errands by voice while FSD (Supervised) handles the road. Bot access inside the car is currently limited to SuperGrok Heavy subscribers, though Connectors are open to anyone signed into Grok. With Finance linked, a driver could ask for a spending summary or a check on upcoming bills during the commute.

Grok’s role in the car has grown quickly since Tesla’s Summer Update let it control cabin features by voice. We have been using Grok Bot in our own Tesla for several weeks, and here’s how our latest test went.

Advertisement
-
Continue Reading