The 4680 cell plant near Berlin should be ready in two years. Wait, what about Model Y?
Interesting statement by Jörg Steinbach, Minister of Economics of Brandenburg (Germany). He claims that the 4680 cell factory in Grünheide (Germany), together with the currently under construction Giga Berlin, could be operational in about two years, that is, at the beginning of 2023. But what about the Model Y, which was supposed to have a new battery this year?
Tesla Model Y with 4680 cells - first structure, then chemistry?
Jörg Steinbach said in an interview with Bloomberg that he would like to turn Brandenburg into a supply center for electric vehicles. An important moment will be the new Tesla factory, from which Tesle Model Y should begin to leave this year. But this is not the end: Tesla's cell factories will be built there within two years (a source).
As Elon Musk mentioned in November 2020, this could be the world's largest battery plant with a capacity of 200-250 GWh of cells per year. We now also know that the placement will be at least partially funded by the European Commission.
We finally heard it The German Tesla Model Y will be built in castings and using a structural battery., i.e. on the basis of 4680 cells. Cars will roll off the conveyors already this year, 2021. It is absurd to think that they will wait two years for a sale.
It seems that the only reasonable explanation for Steinbach's statement in light of Musk's words is the combination of a structural battery (4680 cells) with the existing chemistry used in 2170 cells. Simply changing the format of the cells used gives a chance to increase the range by 16 percent - without any additional interference for cathode or anode.
In the world: the first Tesla Y “Made in Germany” will most likely have old chemistry in new batteries..
And over time, when mass production of 4680 cells with silicon anodes is successfully developed, they can be used in cheaper models - for example, in Model Y. If necessary, because it may turn out that 350 kilometers of track at 150 km / h and 500 kilometers at 120 km / h will be enough for buyers who do not want to pay extra for cars with more expensive cells.
> Tesla Model Y Performance - the real range at 120 km / h is 430-440 km, at 150 km / h - 280-290 km. Revelation! [video]
Tesla's new battery plant will be built in Giga Berlin, that is, next to the car factories. This is what the construction site looked like yesterday, February 11, 2021:
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