According to a report from South Korea, the cylindrical battery is under consideration by GM. Tesla is ramping up its new batteries in Nevada at much higher prices than the Semi. And will Tesla reveal more about the Robovan, the Model 2, or something entirely different in just over a month? This and more, at Green Car Reports.
Tesla has announced a $3.6 billion expansion to its Nevada battery plant “Gigafactory,” which it says will produce the Semi plus the company’s new format 4680 battery cells at 100 gigawatt-hours. every year — enough US-made batteries for 1.5 million light vehicles, It says. Perhaps the most notable are the manufacturing margins and how Tesla aims to generate that level of battery capacity with a smaller base than what is currently needed to generate 35 gigawatt hours.
That output is more than what Tesla needs for the Semi, and it also suggests some Tesla’s future products are in developmentsome of which will be powered by 4680 cells and may be disclosed as part of Investment Day March 1. As CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday — presumably referring to reasons why Semi is delayed — new products need to match where (and when) cells are available.
And GM is said to be considering the possibility Cylindrical cells for electric vehicles of the future. While the report doesn’t suggest a full transition to the format like what BMW heralded last year, it would be a surprising turnaround for a company that has stated that it’s focused exclusively on large format pouches created by a joint venture with LG and are currently partially funded by the DOE.
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