News
Tesla Model S Plaid battery pack shows that 18650 cell innovations are not over yet
A picture of the Tesla Model S Plaid’s 18650 battery pack with its modules visible was recently shared online. The image hinted that Tesla is still in the process of optimizing and innovating its 18650 battery technology, despite the cells being quite a bit long in the tooth.
Tesla is constantly trying to improve its battery technology, which has led to the development of the company’s highly-anticipated 4680 cells. The 4680 cells are expected to be used in vehicles that require a lot of power such as the Semi, Cybertruck, and new Roadster. Amidst the ongoing supply chain challenges and delays in the mass production of 4680 cells from Tesla’s Kato Road facility, however, the company noted that the Model S Plaid, its current flagship sedan, will maintain its use of 18650 batteries.
According to Redditor u/punx, who posted the picture, the Model S Plaid’s battery pack features five large modules, packed to the brim with Panasonic’s 18650 cells. The Reddit user confirmed the cells were 18650 with measurements proving they were 18mm in diameter and 65mm in length. Previous iterations of the Model S have battery packs with as many as 16 individual modules.
A decrease in the number of modules in the Model S Plaid’s battery means fewer parts for the vehicle’s pack, resulting in lower production costs for Tesla. Lowering production costs for its vehicles is a key priority for the company. At the 2021 Annual Shareholders Meeting, Elon Musk mentioned that Tesla has been making a lot of progress in cost reduction, despite the average selling price going down due to the lower prices of vehicles like the Model 3 and Model Y.
“We managed to still do decently well on a gross margin. So, you know, getting the average price down and gross margin up is very difficult,” Musk pointed out. “But we’ve managed to do that. Our goal is really to make the cars as affordable as possible.”
The Model S Plaid (and perhaps the Model X Plaid) might be the last vehicles in Tesla’s lineup that would use 18650 cells. With Tesla focusing its efforts to master the mass production of its 4680 cells — which are more powerful and cheaper to produce — it would not be a surprise if future iterations of the flagship sedan and SUV are fitted with 4680 structural batteries. The 18650 cells are showing their age, after all, as Tesla has been using them since the days of the original Roadster.
If Tesla does utilize its 4680 cells for the Model S and Model X, the vehicles would likely be equipped with nickel-based batteries. The Tesla CEO has previously explained that the supply chain goes all the way back to raw materials like lithium and nickel, which are used to develop the company’s battery cells. During the last earnings call, Elon Musk mulled over the idea of Tesla consolidating its battery offerings down to 2 or 3 form factors, one nickel-based for high-powered vehicles like the Semi and the other iron-based for mass-produced cars like the Model 3.
“So right now, we kind of have the Baskin Robbins of batteries situation, where there’s so many formats and so many chemistries, that it’s like we’ve got like 36 flavors of battery at this point,” Musk said.
“This results in an engineering drag coefficient where each variants of cell chemistry and format requires as certain amount of engineering to maintain it and troubleshoot. And this inhibits our forward progress. So it is going to be important to consolidate to maybe—ideally two form factors, maybe three, but ideally two. And then just one nickel chemistry and one iron chemistry, so we don’t have to troubleshoot so many different variants,” he said.
With Tesla likely retiring its 18650 cells in the future, the Model S Plaid’s five-module battery pack could be seen as one of the final iterations of the technology that the company quite literally used to build its empire. And considering that the 18650 cells are being used in the Model S Plaid, there is no better swan song for the humble batteries.
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Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk trolls budget airline after it refuses Starlink on its planes
“I really want to put a Ryan in charge of Ryan Air. It is your destiny,” Musk said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk trolled budget airline Ryanair on his social media platform X this week following the company’s refusal to adopt Starlink internet on its planes.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Ryanair did not plan to install Starlink internet services on its planes due to its budgetary nature and short flight spans, which are commonly only an hour or so in total duration.
Initially, Musk said installing Starlink on the company’s planes would not impact cost or aerodynamics, but Ryanair responded on its X account, which is comical in nature, by stating that a propaganda it would not fall for was “Wi-Fi on planes.”
Musk responded by asking, “How much would it cost to buy you?” Then followed up with the idea of buying the company and replacing the CEO with someone named Ryan:
I really want to put a Ryan in charge of Ryan Air. It is your destiny.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 19, 2026
Polymarket now states that there is an 8 percent chance that Musk will purchase Ryanair, which would cost Musk roughly $36 billion, based on recent financial data of the public company.
Although the banter has certainly crossed a line, it does not seem as if there is any true reason to believe Musk would purchase the airline. More than anything, it seems like an exercise of who will go further.
Starlink passes 9 million active customers just weeks after hitting 8 million
However, it is worth noting that if something is important enough, Musk will get involved. He bought Twitter a few years ago and then turned it into X, but that issue was much larger than simple banter with a company that does not want to utilize one of the CEO’s products.
The insufferable, special needs chimp currently running Ryan Air is an accountant. Has no idea how airplanes even fly.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 20, 2026
In a poll posted yesterday by Musk, asking whether he should buy Ryanair and “restore Ryan as their rightful ruler.” 76.5 percent of respondents said he should, but others believe that the whole idea is just playful dialogue for now.
But it is not ideal to count Musk out, especially if things continue to move in the direction they have been.
News
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest rival sends latest statement with big expansion
The new expanded geofence now covers a broader region of Austin and its metropolitan areas, extended south to Manchaca and north beyond US-183.
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest rival sent its latest statement earlier this month by making a big expansion to its geofence, pushing the limits up by over 50 percent and nearing Tesla’s size.
Waymo announced earlier this month that it was expanding its geofence in Austin by slightly over 50 percent, now servicing an area of 140 square miles, over the previous 90 square miles that it has been operating in since July 2025.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk shades Waymo: ‘Never really had a chance’
The new expanded geofence now covers a broader region of Austin and its metropolitan areas, extended south to Manchaca and north beyond US-183.
These rides are fully driverless, which sets them apart from Tesla slightly. Tesla operates its Robotaxi program in Austin with a Safety Monitor in the passenger’s seat on local roads and in the driver’s seat for highway routes.
It has also tested fully driverless Robotaxi services internally in recent weeks, hoping to remove Safety Monitors in the near future, after hoping to do so by the end of 2025.
Tesla Robotaxi service area vs. Waymo’s new expansion in Austin, TX. pic.twitter.com/7cnaeiduKY
— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) January 13, 2026
Although Waymo’s geofence has expanded considerably, it still falls short of Tesla’s by roughly 31 square miles, as the company’s expansion back in late 2025 put it up to roughly 171 square miles.
There are several differences between the two operations apart from the size of the geofence and the fact that Waymo is able to operate autonomously.
Waymo emphasizes mature, fully autonomous operations in a denser but smaller area, while Tesla focuses on more extensive coverage and fleet scaling potential, especially with the potential release of Cybercab and a recently reached milestone of 200 Robotaxis in its fleet across Austin and the Bay Area.
However, the two companies are striving to achieve the same goal, which is expanding the availability of driverless ride-sharing options across the United States, starting with large cities like Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area. Waymo also operates in other cities, like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, Phoenix, and Atlanta, among others.
Tesla is working to expand to more cities as well, and is hoping to launch in Miami, Houston, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Dallas.
Elon Musk
Tesla automotive will be forgotten, but not in a bad way: investor
It’s no secret that Tesla’s automotive division has been its shining star for some time. For years, analysts and investors have focused on the next big project or vehicle release, quarterly delivery frames, and progress in self-driving cars. These have been the big categories of focus, but that will all change soon.
Entrepreneur and Angel investor Jason Calacanis believes that Tesla will one day be only a shade of how it is recognized now, as its automotive side will essentially be forgotten, but not in a bad way.
It’s no secret that Tesla’s automotive division has been its shining star for some time. For years, analysts and investors have focused on the next big project or vehicle release, quarterly delivery frames, and progress in self-driving cars. These have been the big categories of focus, but that will all change soon.
I subscribed to Tesla Full Self-Driving after four free months: here’s why
Eventually, and even now, the focus has been on real-world AI and Robotics, both through the Full Self-Driving and autonomy projects that Tesla has been working on, as well as the Optimus program, which is what Calacanis believes will be the big disruptor of the company’s automotive division.
On the All-In podcast, Calcanis revealed he had visited Tesla’s Optimus lab earlier this month, where he was able to review the Optimus Gen 3 prototype and watch teams of engineers chip away at developing what CEO Elon Musk has said will be the big product that will drive the company even further into the next few decades.
Calacanis said:
“Nobody will remember that Tesla ever made a car. They will only remember the Optimus.”
He added that Musk “is going to make a billion of those.”
Musk has stated this point himself, too. He at one point said that he predicted that “Optimus will be the biggest product of all-time by far. Nothing will even be close. I think it’ll be 10 times bigger than the next biggest product ever made.”
He has also indicated that he believes 80 percent of Tesla’s value will be Optimus.
Optimus aims to totally revolutionize the way people live, and Musk has said that working will be optional due to its presence. Tesla’s hopes for Optimus truly show a crystal clear image of the future and what could be possible with humanoid robots and AI.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk trolls budget airline after it refuses Starlink on its planes
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest rival sends latest statement with big expansion
