Tesla's Bet On The 4680 Battery Being The Holy Grail Is Failing

Tesla hasn't improved much on the performance of its 4680 cells, which it now uses in some Model Y variants, including Long Range models built at Giga Berlin. The switch was made quietly, leading to a backlash from European customers. A recent charge test confirmed their concerns, showing that Tesla's 4680 cells are at least five years behind the competition.

 

Tesla's 4680 cells have a rollercoaster history, having been wildly hyped in 2020 during the Battery Day event. Back then, Tesla promised a revolutionary Li-ion battery cell, not just a larger cell, with 5x the energy and 6x the power compared to 2170 cells. Used in a Tesla battery pack, it would enable a 16% range improvement.