Tesla appears to be closing in on starting 4680 battery cell production at Giga Texas.
Production line equipment for the next-generation battery cells was seen already setup inside the building.
The long line of equipment was spotted by Joe Tegtmeyer during a drone flyover of the factory early this morning.
Although we don’t know for certain, this is likely the the ‘cathode line 1’ and ‘anode line 1’ equipment we saw arriving at the factory last month.
Tesla 4680 battery cell production line equipment arrives at Giga Texas
Zooming in this appears to be the case as we can see the spindles that will create the 4680 jelly rolls to be inserted into the metal casing of the cell.
This is a huge development in the progress of the 4680 battery cell, and shows Tesla is further ahead than many people think.
Whether we see the new cells in the first cars rolling off the Giga Texas production line remains to be seen. Elon Musk has previously said they will have contingency plan to include the current 2170 cells if the 4680 cells are not by the time Giga Texas opens its doors.
Tesla was hoping to start production this year, but with just a few weeks left before 2022 begins, that is starting to look less likely.
https://twitter.com/JoeTegtmeyer/status/1471851687249956866
