Tesla’s Battery Day is coming tomorrow after the electric car maker’s 2020 Annual Shareholder Meeting. During the event, Tesla is expected to discuss the details of its next-generation battery cells, as well as their role in the world’s acceleration in sustainable energy. Actual details about Battery Day have been pretty scarce save for a few potential leaks, but that has not stopped the Tesla community from speculating about what the highly-anticipated event would involve.
A concise summary of the current expectations for Battery Day was recently shared by Tesla Daily’s Rob Maurer, who compiled a list of topics that the electric car maker could cover during the event. Following then is a list of expectations about what Tesla could discuss tomorrow, as the company finally shows the world what it has been working on with regards to its battery technology.
A New Cell Design
Tesla has been teasing that it would be going into the production of battery cells. So far, leaks suggest that the company is about to adopt a larger form factor for its batteries, similar to how Tesla introduced the 2170 cells for the Model 3, which were larger than the 18650 cells used in the Model S and Model X. Leaks have pointed to Tesla’s new cells possibly adopting a 54×98 form factor, which has about 10x the volume of a 2170 cell.
With larger form factors, the electrons and the ions travel larger distances as they move around in the cell, generating more friction and heat. This is a huge downside to larger cells, but Tesla’s tabless battery patent may hold the key to solving this issue. With a tabless battery cell design, the distance traveled by electrons and ions is largely reduced, limiting the disadvantages inherent among large cells. Such a design has several advantages, including better energy density and a more efficient manufacturing process.
Battery Chemistry
Speculations are abounding that Tesla may discuss the amount of silicon that it is using in the anode of its next-generation cells. The more silicon that is used, the better the energy density. However, the utilization of silicon usually results in cracked anodes over time, reducing battery performance and life. Introducing more silicon into the anode is something that battery researchers have been attempting to accomplish for a while now, so it would be quite interesting if the electric car maker would announce some headway into its silicon use as well.
Tesla may also discuss Maxwell’s technology and how it is being used for the company’s electric cars and energy storage devices. Maxwell has developed numerous innovations prior to its acquisition by Tesla, though the most relevant part of the company’s work in relation to the electric car maker is arguably its dry battery electrode tech. Considering that traditional lithium-ion batteries produce their electrodes in a wet slurry format (a rather lengthy process), dry electrode technology could vastly improve not only the energy density of Tesla’s cells, they could improve the production output of the batteries themselves as well.
Cell-to-Pack Innovations
Tesla’s battery packs today feature cells that are packed into modules that are then packed into a battery pack. Back in the days of the original Roadster, battery modules were used as a means for the company to take out parts of the battery that may need to be replaced without taking out the entire pack. That was 12 years ago, however, and much has happened since then. Tesla has transitioned from a budding niche electric car maker to the manufacturer of the market’s best-selling EVs.
As Elon Musk noted in the past, battery modules today are pretty much just an extra step, taking up weight without really serving a legitimate purpose. Musk then stated that the future is cell to pack without modules, suggesting that the company’s next-generation batteries will be using a cell-to-pack design. Such an innovation gives numerous benefits to Tesla, from lower production costs to possibly even better energy density.
Battery Manufacturing and the Roadrunner Line
Elon Musk has always been pretty transparent about Tesla’s mission, which is to accelerate the advent of sustainable energy. Having enough batteries to enable such a transition is key to this goal. With this in mind, the potential innovations that Tesla will be discussing in Battery Day — a larger form factor that would allow the company to produce fewer cells to get the same amount of energy; a tabless cell design that could make production easier; dry electrode tech that could greatly increase the production capacity density of each battery; and a cell-to-pack design that should allow the production of batteries with less equipment at less cost — could ultimately pave the way for electric vehicles and energy storage products that are significantly better than the industry standard today.
The Roadrunner project in Fremont is expected to be a central component of Tesla’s battery manufacturing plans, with attendees to the event being shown just how fast the company could produce its battery cells using its in-house production process. Elon Musk seems to be hyping the Roadrunner line recently on Twitter as well, when he made references to a game called “Factorio,” which happens to be a title focused on growing and maintaining advanced, efficient factories.
The Million-Mile Battery
The million-mile battery has been heavily speculated for Battery Day. Tesla’s electric cars are already capable of lasting long despite heavy use, but with batteries and powertrains that could last a million miles, the company could create a generation of vehicles that are designed to be always operational for an extended period of time. Million-mile batteries are then crucial for Tesla’s plans to roll out a Robotaxi service, which involves vehicles traveling long distances every year.
The Plaid Powertrain
With Tesla’s battery innovations in mind, speculations are high that the company would unveil its first vehicles that would carry its next-generation cells on Battery Day. Among Tesla’s ongoing projects, the Roadrunner cells seem to be a perfect match for cars like the Plaid Model S, Plaid Model X, and next-generation Roadster. All three vehicles have been confirmed by Elon Musk to feature the company’s upcoming “Plaid Powertrain,” which is something that has been heavily teased for some time now. Interestingly enough, updates on Tesla’s Plaid vehicles have been pretty scarce lately, making an announcement on Battery Day somewhat likely.
Watch Rob Maurer’s full Tesla Battery Day predictions in the video below.
News
Tesla gives HW3 owners another massive update
It was an “at last” moment for HW 3 owners, who have waited for an update on the capabilities of their vehicles for some time. After CEO Elon Musk finally admitted last week that the HW3 vehicles would not be capable of unsupervised FSD, it appears Tesla is bringing a new, more transparent tone to those owners.
Tesla is giving Hardware 3 vehicle owners another massive update, the second major communication the company has given to those drivers after what seemed like years of being left out to dry.
The company, which plans to launch a Full Self-Driving version 14 iteration that is compatible with these cars, which have older chips, is now planning to expand the rollout of the v14 Lite offering to other markets, it said on X.
Tesla said:
“Following future rollout of FSD V14 Lite for HW3 vehicles in the US, we plan on expanding V14 Lite to additional international markets. This update ensures that HW3 vehicle owners will continue to benefit from ongoing software updates. Since international rollout is subject to several factors (completion of technical verification, regional adaptation & relevant regulatory approvals), we can’t provide definitive dates at the moment, but will provide updates on a rolling basis.”
This announcement comes at a critical time for HW3 owners, many of whom purchased Full Self-Driving (FSD) capability years ago with promises of ongoing support and future-proofing.
Following future rollout of FSD V14 Lite for HW3 vehicles in the US, we plan on expanding V14 Lite to additional international markets.
This update ensures that HW3 vehicle owners will continue to benefit from ongoing software updates.
Since international rollout is subject to…
— Tesla (@Tesla) April 29, 2026
HW3, introduced in 2019, powers vehicles from roughly 2019 to early 2023 models. While newer AI4 hardware has advanced rapidly, HW3 owners have felt increasingly left behind, with their last major update stuck around version 12.6 since early 2025.
It was an “at last” moment for HW 3 owners, who have waited for an update on the capabilities of their vehicles for some time. After CEO Elon Musk finally admitted last week that the HW3 vehicles would not be capable of unsupervised FSD, it appears Tesla is bringing a new, more transparent tone to those owners.
V14 Lite represents a significant optimization effort. Tesla has confirmed it will bring many core features of the full V14 release, currently running on more powerful hardware, to the more constrained HW3 platform.
Expected capabilities include improved handling of complex urban scenarios, better reverse driving, enhanced parking features, and smoother overall autonomy, albeit in a “lite” form tailored to HW3’s compute limits. Tesla’s head of Autopilot, Ashok Elluswamy, noted during the Q1 2026 earnings call that the update is targeted for late June in the U.S.
Tesla is releasing a modified version of FSD v14 for Hardware 3 owners: here’s when
The international expansion is particularly meaningful for owners in Europe, Asia, Australia, and other regions where FSD rollout has lagged due to regulatory hurdles.
Tesla emphasized that timing remains fluid, dependent on “technical verification, regional adaptation & relevant regulatory approvals.” No firm dates were provided, but the company pledged rolling updates as milestones are achieved.
This move addresses growing concerns that Tesla might abandon legacy hardware. With the recent admission that its capabilities are limited and not capable of Tesla’s grand autonomy ambitions, owners are finally in the light of truth, with more honesty being put forth as the company navigates this chapter.
For Tesla, keeping HW3 relevant strengthens customer loyalty and protects the value of older vehicles. It also buys time as the company pushes toward broader regulatory approvals and unsupervised autonomy on newer platforms.
While V14 Lite isn’t the full unsupervised experience once promised, it delivers tangible improvements and signals that HW3 owners are not being forgotten.
As Tesla continues its rapid AI and autonomy evolution, this update underscores a key principle: software can breathe new life into existing hardware. For tens of thousands of HW3 drivers worldwide, V14 Lite could mark the beginning of a renewed era of confidence in their vehicles.
Elon Musk
SpaceX Board has set a Mars bonus for Elon Musk
SpaceX has given Elon Musk the goal to put one million people on Mars.
SpaceX’s board approved a compensation plan for Elon Musk that ties his pay directly to colonizing Mars and building data centers in outer space. The details surfaced this week after Reuters reviewed SpaceX’s confidential registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, making it one of the first concrete looks inside the company’s financials ahead of a public offering.
The pay package will reportedly award Musk 200 million super-voting restricted shares if the company hits a market valuation milestone, with the most ambitious targets going further. To unlock the full award, SpaceX would need to reach a $7.5 trillion valuation and help establish a permanent human settlement on Mars with at least one million residents. Additional incentives are tied to developing space-based computing infrastructure capable of delivering at least 100 terawatts of processing power.
SpaceX wins its first MARS contract but it comes with a catch
Long before SpaceX filed anything with the SEC, Elon Musk had already spent years framing Mars colonization as an insurance policy against human extinction. The philosophy traces back to at least 2001, when Musk first began researching Mars missions independently, before SpaceX even existed. By 2002 he had founded the company with Mars as the stated long-term goal.
In a 2017 presentation at the International Astronautical Congress, Musk outlined the specific vision that still underpins SpaceX’s architecture today. He described a self-sustaining city on Mars requiring roughly one million people to become viable, the same number now written into his compensation package.
SpaceX’s Starship, still in active development, was designed from the ground up to support the eventual colonization of Mars. Musk has stated publicly that getting the cost per ton to Mars below $100,000 is necessary to make mass migration economically feasible. Everything from Starship’s payload capacity to its full reusability targets flows from that single constraint. One can say that Musk’s latest compensation package has put a formal valuation on Mars for the first time.
SpaceX is targeting an IPO around June 28, Musk’s birthday, at a valuation of approximately $1.75 trillion. Between the Mars rover contract, the Golden Dome software group, Space Force satellite launches, and now a pay structure built around interplanetary colonization, SpaceX has become the single most consequential contractor in American space and defense. The IPO will put a public price tag on all of it for the first time.
Earlier this week, we wrote a story on how Tesla is launching a new Supercharging Queue system to mitigate problems between drivers when there is a wait to charge.
Rather than potentially having people end up in a physical conflict, Tesla’s approach is to determine who is next to charge based on geographic data.
Tesla launches solution to end Supercharger fights once and for all
But some companies, notably Tesla’s biggest rival in China, BYD, are taking a different approach, focusing on charging speeds rather than how they will manage delays.
BYD’s approach, especially with its tests of ultra-fast “Flash Charging” technology, is to eliminate the length of a charging session. At the heart of this strategy is BYD’s second-generation Blade Battery paired with 1,500-kW Flash Chargers.
Real-world FLASH Charging in action.
⚡ 10% → 70% in 5 minutes
⚡ 10% → 97% in 9 minutesIntroducing BYD’s 2nd Generation Blade Battery + FLASH Charging Technology.
20,000 stations will bring faster, safer, and smarter EV charging across China by the end of 2026. pic.twitter.com/uzQC8q1xGf
— BYD (@BYDCompany) March 9, 2026
Unveiled earlier this year, the system charges compatible vehicles from 10 percent to 70 percent state of charge in just five minutes and from 10 percent to 97 percent in nine minutes.
Real-world demonstrations on models like the Yangwang U7 and Denza Z9 GT have shown the tech delivering roughly 250 miles (400 kilometers) of range in just five minutes. This would essentially match or beat the time it takes to fill a gas tank.
Sometimes, gas pumps get congested, and there are lines. You rarely see conflicts at pumps because filling up a tank rarely takes more than five minutes.
Tesla’s fastest Supercharger build currently is the v4, which can deliver up to 325 kW for Cybertruck and 250 kW for other models, but there are “true” sites that are capable of up to 500 kW. This enables speeds of up to 1,000 miles per hour, or 1,400 miles for 350 kW-capable vehicles.
The breakthrough stems from BYD’s vertically integrated ecosystem: a new 1,000-volt architecture, 10C charging rates, and proprietary silicon-carbide chips that minimize internal resistance while protecting battery health.
The company plans to install 20,000 Flash Charging stations across China by the end of 2026, with thousands already operational and global expansion eyed for Europe and beyond later this year.
Early rollout targets popular models, including upgrades to high-volume sellers like the Seal and Sealion series, bringing five-minute charging to mainstream prices around 100,000 yuan (about $14,000).
This approach contrasts sharply with Tesla’s software solution. Tesla’s Virtual Queue uses geofencing and the app to assign turns at crowded sites, addressing driver disputes and idle time. It’s a clever fix for today’s network realities.
Yet, BYD’s philosophy is simpler: make charging so fast that waits barely exist. A five-minute stop becomes as convenient as a gas-station visit, reducing station dwell time, easing grid strain, and lowering range anxiety for long trips.
For consumers, the difference is potentially tangible. They’ll spend more time driving and less time parked. It is just another way Tesla and BYD are pushing one another to improve the overall experience of EV ownership.
Tesla gives HW3 owners another massive update
SpaceX Board has set a Mars bonus for Elon Musk
