On April 11, foreign media Teslaati reported that after the opening of CyberRodeo at Tesla's Texas Gigafactory, Tesla officially delivered the first mass-produced Model Y with 4680 batteries. Earlier, DigiTimes quoted sources who claimed that the Model Y would use the battery at the end of the first quarter, which is basically consistent at this point in time.
Before Tesla Battery Day in 2020, Tesla and Panasonic discussed, and after studying the cost, the balance of the vehicle itself, and other possibilities brought by cylindrical batteries, the 4680 was confirmed as the best size for automotive batteries. Compared with the 2170 battery, the 4680 battery can provide 6 times the power, and the vehicle endurance is increased by 16%.
The 4680 battery produced at the Austin plant will most likely be supplied to the North American market first, and after meeting the demand for the Model Y model in the North American market, it may be supplied to China, Europe and other markets.
In terms of suppliers, Panasonic has maintained a good cooperative relationship with Tesla, and is also the fastest in the cooperation of 4680 batteries, and has initially mass-produced 4680 batteries. LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI have completed the development of 4680 battery samples, and CATL plans to mass-produce 4680 batteries in 2022.
China as Tesla's largest market, the domestic Model Y to replace with 4680 batteries, the high probability is provided by LG Energy Solution and Ningde Times, these two who can give priority to Tesla's orders, depending on which one of the research and development speed.
The 4680 battery produced by the supplier, in addition to meeting Tesla's needs, may also be supplied to external manufacturers later, panasonic CEO has previously expressed this view. After the advent of the 4680 battery, it will affect BYD's market position. BYD has a deep technical accumulation in the field of lithium iron phosphate batteries, and the cost performance of this battery is quite high, so BYD's Qin, Han and other models are not afraid to fight price wars with opponents. The cost performance of the 4680 battery is greatly improved compared with the traditional ternary lithium battery, and other manufacturers can release more cost-effective models.
At the opening ceremony of the Texas factory, Musk said that the factory will become the world's largest battery factory, which shows that Tesla is going to vigorously get rid of its dependence on battery suppliers. Tesla's tram sales lead the world, and Tesla's self-produced batteries do not have to worry about sales. After continuously lowering the cost of car materials, Tesla may launch a $25,000 model at an earlier time.