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► Musk confirmed that Tesla has been building several Tesla Model Y units at the Gigafactory Texas in recent days as the factory nears production approval. After updating the audience that Tesla will begin deliveries of the Texas-built Model Y once the vehicle has received a certificate of approval, Musk confirmed that Tesla 4680 battery and structural battery pack system will be used in vehicles built at the Texas Gigafactory.
Tesla updated the timeline for the plant in its Shareholder Deck by stating, “Builds of 2022 Tesla Model Ys started in late 2021 at Gigafactory Texas. After final certification of Austin-made 2022 Model Y, we plan to start deliveries to customers.”
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Interestingly, Tesla also stated in its Q4 2021 shareholder presentation that the Model Y 2022, built at the Gigafactory Berlin in Germany, will not initially have a 4680 battery. The vehicles will initially be equipped with 2,170 battery cells that have been used in the Model 3 and Model Y since the early days of production.
The 4680 battery is designed to revolutionize lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. At 46mm wide and 80mm long, it has five times the energy density, 16% more range, and six times the power output. The unit has been in development since 2020 and is located behind the door of the Kato Road facility.
Drew Baglino, SVP of Powertrain for Tesla, said that “4680 cells are not a constraint to our 2022 volume plans.”,He added that he expects the first 4680 battery-equipped vehicles to be delivered by the end of the first quarter of 2022. Musk also confirmed that the Gigafactory Texas Model Ys will feature structural battery packs (Tesla Model Y 4680), which will increase the rigidity and structural integrity of the vehicle.
Tesla hinted at the structural package included in the car when it released the shareholder deck ahead of the earnings call.
Now that Model Y vehicles being manufactured at Gigafactory Texas are confirmed to have the Structural Battery Pack and 4680 cells, Tesla’s long-standing projects to revolutionize castings and EV battery tech are here.
► According to Tesla news, the company may already be launching two new vehicle factories this year in the form of Gigafactory Texas and Giga Berlin but the company still appears to be in its infancy.
► It appears the reports are correct that Tesla won’t be entering any definitive stage of production for the Cybertruck, nor any of the other models Musk mentioned this year. The Roadster, Semi, and the rumored $25,000 car or (Tesla Model 2) won’t go into production anytime in 2022. But that doesn’t mean Tesla won’t develop them.
► Cybertruck news:
What about those models that have been on Tesla’s production line for years? The Tesla Cybertruck’s Tri-Motor powertrain has an initial production date of late 2021. Now, according to Musk himself, the Tri-Motor won’t even be the vehicle of choice, saying the Quad-Motor variant will be the first Cybertruck to be produced at Gigafactory Texas
► Musk is very confident in his prediction, saying he will be « shocked » if Tesla doesn’t get the FSD by the end of the year.
Tesla FSD Kit has been in development for several years and is expected to be feature complete a few years ago. However, Tesla is close to solving its conundrum, except for one feature: autonomous driving on city streets. According to the company’s fourth-quarter 2021 shareholder report, Tesla has opened a beta program for FSD beta that has amassed more than 60,000 active users.
The full self-driving kit is currently priced at $12,000, up from $10,000 on January 17.
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