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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News
Tesla Europe builds momentum with expanding FSD demos and regional launches
Needless to say, it appears that Tesla is putting in some serious effort into boosting sales in Europe this year.
Tesla has been notably active across Europe in recent weeks, expanding its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) ride-along program, entering a new market, and showcasing its newest vehicles across multiple regions.
Needless to say, it appears that Tesla is putting in some serious effort into boosting sales in Europe this year.
Tesla Europe recently announced the expansion of its FSD (Supervised) ride-along experiences, inviting the public to experience the system on local roads. Initially available in Italy, France, and Germany when it launched, the program has now expanded to Hungary, Finland, and Spain.
The ride-along program allows participants to ride in the passenger seat and observe how FSD Supervised handles real-world traffic scenarios, including dense urban driving and other challenging conditions. Tesla has positioned the initiative as a way to familiarize European drivers and regulators with the system’s capabilities in everyday use. The program has received positive reviews so far, with many being impressed by FSD’s real-world capabilities.
Tesla also recently launched operations in Slovakia with a pop-up store and multi-day public event in Bratislava, as noted in an EV Wire report. The launch, held from January 16 to 18 at the Eurovea Mall Promenade, featured test drives, vehicle displays, including the Cybertruck, as well as family-focused attractions such as a mini-Tesla racetrack.
Local observers noted that Tesla Optimus was also shown at the event, while the Tesla Owners Slovakia club welcomed the brand with a coordinated light show near the Slovak National Theater. Tesla Europe later shared its appreciation for Slovakia in a post on its official social media account on X, stating, “Thanks, Slovakia, for the amazing last 3 days & for giving us such a warm welcome!”
Tesla’s Slovakia entry follows a familiar pattern used by the company in other European markets. Tesla opened a pop-up store in Bratislava as an initial step, with plans for a permanent showroom and a potential service center at a renovated site previously occupied by a Jeep and Dodge dealership. Tesla has used a similar approach in markets such as Czechia and Lithuania, where permanent facilities followed within a few months of pop-up launches.
Slovakia already has six Supercharging sites totaling 46 Superchargers, including two locations in Bratislava, providing early infrastructure support for Tesla owners. Tesla staff program manager Supratik Saha described the Slovakia launch as a strategic expansion in the heart of the EU, citing the country’s strong automotive manufacturing base and appetite for advanced technology.
Beyond the EU, the company also marked another milestone with the first Cybertruck deliveries in the United Arab Emirates, signaling continued geographic expansion for Tesla’s newest vehicle. Just like Tesla Slovakia, the Cybertruck also received a warm welcome from the UAE’s EV community.
News
Tesla Sweden maintains Trelleborg port deal despite union blockade
As noted in a report from Dagens Arbete (DA), Tesla was able to maintain its storage agreement with the Port of Trelleborg.
Tesla Sweden is still storing vehicles at the Port of Trelleborg despite the ongoing blockades against the company from the country’s labor unions.
Tesla still at Port of Trelleborg
As noted in a report from Dagens Arbete (DA), Tesla was able to maintain its storage agreement with the Port of Trelleborg. This allows the company to keep vehicles at the port while imports into Sweden continue. This was despite the Transport Workers’ Union’s blockade, which was aimed at halting the loading and unloading of Tesla vehicles in the area.
Local union leader Jörgen Wärja, chairman of Transport and an employee representative on the port company’s board, confirmed that the agreement was still active. “The agreement has not been terminated. You want to have the money instead of having empty warehouses. I understand the reason, but I do not support it,” Wärja said
The local union leader also noted that he visited Tesla’s storage area earlier this week. “There were a lot of cars. I was surprised that there were so many, actually,” he said.
Tesla had been able to bring vehicles into Sweden via passenger ferries at Trelleborg, a method that unions said allowed the company to bypass the blockade, DA noted. According to estimates from IF Metall, the workaround enabled Tesla to deliver thousands of cars to Sweden each year.
Port defends decision
The Port of Trelleborg did not issue a comment on its current agreement with Tesla, but said it had complied with union sympathy measures. Documents reviewed by Swedish media showed that the contract with Tesla was being extended in six-month intervals.
Port CEO Malin Collin noted that the port would not discuss individual customer arrangements. “We do not go into details regarding any customer agreements. We have continuous dialogue with potential tenants, and this is not unique to any location,” Collin wrote in an email.
The CEO added that the port was following legal requirements related to the labor dispute. “We have taken note of the Transport Workers’ Union’s decision on sympathy measures and are of course following applicable legislation and the requirements placed on us as employers,” Collin said.
Jörgen Wärja, for his part, stated that the issue was not whether Tesla’s imports into Sweden could be fully stopped, but whether the port should provide logistical support to the electric vehicle maker during an active conflict. “The port shouldn’t have anything to do with Tesla at all, we believe,” he said. “It’s purely moral. Whether you honor a conflict or not. If you say you support Transport’s sympathetic actions against Tesla, it becomes a double standard.”
Elon Musk
Elon Musk shares insights on SpaceX and Tesla’s potential scale
In a pair of recent posts on X, Musk argued that both companies operate in domains where growth is not linear, but exponential.
Elon Musk outlined why he believes Tesla and SpaceX ultimately dwarf their competitors, pointing to autonomy, robotics, and space-based energy as forces that fundamentally reshape economic scale.
In a pair of recent posts on X, Musk argued that both companies operate in domains where growth is not linear, but exponential.
Space-based energy
In a response to a user on X who observed that SpaceX has a larger valuation than all six US defense companies combined, Musk explained that space-based industries will eventually surpass the total economic value of Earth. He noted that space allows humanity to harness roughly 100,000 times more energy than Earth currently uses, while still consuming less than a millionth of the Sun’s total energy output.
That level of available energy should enable the emergence and development of industries that are simply not possible within Earth’s physical and environmental constraints. Continuous solar exposure in space, as per Musk’s comment, removes limitations imposed by atmosphere, weather, and land availability.
Autonomy and robots
In a follow-up post, Elon Musk explaned that “due to autonomy, Tesla is worth more than the rest of the auto industry.” Musk added that this assessment does not yet account for Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot. As per the CEO, once Optimus reaches scaled production, it could increase Earth’s gross domestic product by an order of magnitude, ultimately paving the way for sustainable abundance.
Even before the advent of Optimus, however, Tesla’s autonomous driving system already gives vehicles the option to become revenue-generating assets through services like the Tesla Robotaxi network. Tesla’s autonomous efforts seem to be on the verge of paying off, as services like the Robotaxi network have already been launched in its initial stages in Austin and the Bay Area.
Tesla Europe builds momentum with expanding FSD demos and regional launches
Tesla Sweden maintains Trelleborg port deal despite union blockade
