Model Y - Gigafactory Texas Production

[Andrew Smith]

They said they delivered 4680 cars at Austin in the Q1 report. An employee also confirmed this.

Yep. They had to deliver 4680 cars from Austin since Elon has been saying that in the last few earnings call. It’s better to say we delivered on our promise even though they were just delivered to employees than to not deliver at all.

Few of the post that we saw of folks posting their GT MY, there’s no more update as in build quality, how’s 4680 battery. Tesla must have asked to sign an NDA and told the bare minimum that you can tell the world,i.e. post that you got GT MY, free PR.

 

[chinokie]

I've changed my direction. No longer holding out for 4680 and now saving for 18650

 

[Pantha]

They said they delivered 4680 cars at Austin in the Q1 report. An employee also confirmed this.

Only to employees.

 

[CaliX]

Tesla plans to produce Model Ys with both 4680 and 2170 cells at Gigafactory Texas this year

Tesla plans to use its 4680 and 2170 cells in the Gigafactory Texas Model Y this year, with its structural battery pack appearing in the 4680-equipped cars.

www.teslarati.com

 

[advocate8]

No, it will be a completely new non structural 2170 line which is why it won’t be ready til later this year. It isn’t built yet. What you speak about is a 2170 structural line. If the line is set for a structural 4680, whatever replaces that 4680 part has to be structural, therefore structural 2170. They have very specifically stated it will be a non structural 2170. Which means it will be identical to Fremont. Which solves the problem of having two differently constructed vehicles with the same name.

You are thinking about this from the view that Tesla will just modify their current 4680 process to use 2170. We know that isn’t possible without 2170 structural packs and it seems they don’t want to do that which will make the car even heavier. So they will build a non structural 2170 line and the parts they need for that. Pretty simple to have a separate stamping machine to make a solid floor for non-structural vs the holey floor for structural 4680.

No, it’s not as simple as stamping out a floor plate. The differences in the mid chassis are more substantial that. Just for starters ….The attachment points for the two packs are completely different.
The methods of installing the interiors are wildly different also.
Too much would be different if they don’t just build a plug and play 2170 pack that can act as the bottom of the car.
Structural the way they use the word means batteries acting as structure.
But they can build one with an outer shell that does all that but which isn’t “structural” in the sense of bonded batteries.
They’ve had a plan for an alternate pack like that for awhile, and it’s the simplest way.
There’s been no talk at all if two such different kinds of Y being built there, and the only chassis seen have been the newer type.
But….Believe what you want.

 

[tangible1]

The front casting probably doesn’t do anything for rigidity. That improvement was going to come from the structural pack, which Elon said could make a convertible as rigid as a coupe all by itself, which is impressive if even half true.
A reasonable question is whether the 2170 pack that would be used at Austin between the two castings -- which is how it will be used -- will add weight. It will have to be in the same ballpark for stiffness as the “structural pack” as the chassis will be the same one set up for castings, which has no floor. So there prob will be some extra steel required.
In the paperwork for the earnings call it says this pack isn’t “structural” which I take only to mean the batteries themselves aren’t bonded into the skins at top and bottom to create a giant trussed beam as they are with 4680 packs. It will of course be structural in the classic sense of the word, in that the pack itself will be a structural element to make up for the bottom of chassis being missing as compared to Fremont cars.

The 2170 non-structural pack doesn't stress the battery cell elements as the 4680 pack does.
It requires the addition of a traditional floorpan to the chassis assembly for torsional rigidity, but then is designed to work with both F+R megacastings.
That is precisely what Giga Berlin is building now. 2170 packs with F+R castings. The resulting chassis is sufficiently stiff, probably superior to the current Fremont chassis.
You can see examples of the two packs from phots of both the Giga Berlin Fest and the Austin Cyber Rodeo displays. One visible difference is the floorpan addition.

The front casting does add to both rigidity and dimensional consistency, and also weighs less. It replaces 85 stamped/welded steel pieces according to the Austin display.
So regardless of the use of 2170 or 4680 batteries, the new chassis is superior in several ways. Not to mention faster and cheaper to make.

What's most interesting right now, given the just 75lb weight reduction of the 4680-based MY AWD vs 2170 MYLR, is what's actually inside the new battery packs.
Is that pack 4680-limited using inert cells to get that 62kWh rating, or is it fully 4680 populated and software limited?
My bet is the former, but that means the inert cells weigh quite a lot. I can't see Tesla wasting cells that are still limited in production quantities.

It remains an open question of a detail. And as expected, no details of substance were revealed at today's Earnings Call.

 

[tangible1]

Don't know about you guys but to me it's quite a relief. My problem as a MYP buyers was not knowing what I likely to get not so much what I was getting. Interesting that they were talking about Berlin using front castings by Autumn with 2170. Another dream I guess. Perhaps Elon needs to stop trying to spin so many plates on top of stick at one time. With what's due from the competition in the next 18 months he need to concentrate on His car production because once the magic begins to slip it be be a bumpy road down the hill.

the competition is in disarray.
not only are they fully exposed to supplier constraints.
but their product offerings mostly are marketing blurbs, aren't deliverable in any quantity, either this year or next.

so Tesla has time to drill down on their house, get it further in order, and certainly be fully capable of maintaining their lead if not extending it.
competition is good. but so far still at bay for Tesla.

 

[ZenRockGarden]

They said they delivered 4680 cars at Austin in the Q1 report. An employee also confirmed this.

Yep. And the best intel is they delivered a handful of MYAWD 279-mile range cars to internal Tesla employees who are conveniently not allowed to talk about the cars, thus obscuring the fact that they're not the 4680 MYLR's that everyone had been led to expect.

 

[Mrbrock]

No, it’s not as simple as stamping out a floor plate. The differences in the mid chassis are more substantial that. Just for starters ….The attachment points for the two packs are completely different.
The methods of installing the interiors are wildly different also.
Too much would be different if they don’t just build a plug and play 2170 pack that can act as the bottom of the car.
Structural the way they use the word means batteries acting as structure.
But they can build one with an outer shell that does all that but which isn’t “structural” in the sense of bonded batteries.
They’ve had a plan for an alternate pack like that for awhile, and it’s the simplest way.
There’s been no talk at all if two such different kinds of Y being built there, and the only chassis seen have been the newer type.
But….Believe what you want.

Yet they do this at Fremont every day and have been every day for 2 years. Makes it very easy to duplicate.

If you start with a chassis that requires a structural battery pack to be functional, then it will always need a structural battery pack to be functional. Building a 2170 pack that isn’t structural, then encasing it in some type of structure to make it a structural member that fits within the existing 4680 size opening is still creating a structural 2170 pack. Just because the cells themselves aren’t structural, doesn’t mean the pack can’t be structural. In fact, a 2170 pack should be stronger structurally because there are more vertical cell walls than in a 4680 pack providing more vertical crush strength. So by them calling them very specifically non-structural leads me to believe they intend to build vehicles at Austin that are identical to Fremont. This allows them to fulfill the “Austin will make vehicles for the eastern 2/3rds of the country” promise without having those vehicles be different. Based on the 4680 SR, a structural pack provides 0 weight savings so trying to use the structural chassis with 2170 cells would lead to a car that is heavier than Fremont and thus wouldn’t be the same, would need new EPA range testing and would lead to many people demanding Fremont vehicles to get the one with better range and performance.

They have already had issues with 4680 matching 2170 specs. The simplest answer which will be tepee cheapest and most profitable it the easiest answer, build the same vehicle the same way. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Which if they could use the existing line at Austin with 2170, why wait 2-3 quarters to produce them?

 

[Mrbrock]

In the past few months Tesla has been really focused on expanding their energy business of installing mega packs. What kind of battery mega packs use?

The earnings report mentioned LFP for commercial energy products. They do need to accept a full charge and not suffer power loss due to cold weather. LFP fits the bill.

 

[ZenRockGarden]

The earnings report mentioned LFP for commercial energy products. They do need to accept a full charge and not suffer power loss due to cold weather. LFP fits the bill.

View attachment 796024

Yeah I think LFP's friendlier charging profile will make it the next go-to solution for anywhere that doesn't need max power density.

Which is perfect for fixed-storage type solutions.

NMC will still dominate automative applications because, Range. Actually Range for a given mass and volume.

 

[GBwaiting]

With the almost mythical status that the 4680 has taken, who in their right mind would take a 2170 pack right now unless it was absolutely necessary?

I’m not saying I believe the hype but between Tesla, the media, and here, you’d think this was the carb to FI evolution.

Not at all. Elon can keep his new theoretical pack. After waiting 8 months I just wish they would build me any version of MY!

 

[goin2drt]

What??? 10 more pages on this thread and still no 4680 battery cars. What happened to all those YTers that know so much and the "insider" drone pilots with all the "facts" and the folks on Twitter.

How are all you "holders" doing waiting for your 4680 "superior" MY. I think you call it Version 2.0

See you in another 10 pages.

 

[DerbyCityY]

What??? 10 more pages on this thread and still no 4680 battery cars. What happened to all those YTers that know so much and the "insider" drone pilots with all the "facts" and the folks on Twitter.

How are all you "holders" doing waiting for your 4680 "superior" MY. I think you call it Version 2.0

See you in another 10 pages.

If you have nothing to add, your silence would be precious!

 

[goin2drt]

If you have nothing to add, your silence would be precious!

And you had something to add with your post? Just checking "pot" (in case you didn't know reference to pot calling kettle black).

Sorry I struck a nerve you must be one continually putting your 4680 hope on hold. I guess I didn't use enough emoji's for you to confirm I was being a smarta$$. Clearly a few people got my humor based on the 's I got.

 

[Yperformance]

Things on all Tesla feeds seem to have gone a bit quiet wonder if the interest in Tesla is beginning to wane as the cutting edge tech seems to be a year out. Even seen article s that Panasonic won't have 4680 volume production till 2024. Though I have a MPY on order sounds like 2022 will be a damp squib.

 

[voxel]

Things on all Tesla feeds seem to have gone a bit quiet wonder if the interest in Tesla is beginning to wane as the cutting edge tech seems to be a year out. Even seen article s that Panasonic won't have 4680 volume production till 2024. Though I have a MPY on order sounds like 2022 will be a damp squib.

I think chip and part shortages are affecting all carmakers.

Tesla with USB chiphold and 4680 cell production. You rarely see any free inventory on their site and here you don't read about many getting deliveries. Kia and Hyundai seem to be producing fewer EV6s and Ioniq 5s (production dropped last month) and Ford is having their usually production issues... oh... no idea about VW/ID.4 because my fall ID.4 reservation (that I've kept even with my issues with my first one) is estimated to be delivery late summer or fall of 2022. That's one full year of waiting.

 

[kabin]

Things on all Tesla feeds seem to have gone a bit quiet wonder if the interest in Tesla is beginning to wane as the cutting edge tech seems to be a year out. Even seen article s that Panasonic won't have 4680 volume production till 2024. Though I have a MPY on order sounds like 2022 will be a damp squib.

Tesla and Musk are good at describing a promising future but reality always bites. These earnings calls remind me of Steve Jobs' reality distortion field.

 

[WhiteWi]

Tesla and Musk are good at describing a promising future but reality always bites. These earnings calls remind me of Steve Jobs' reality distortion field.

Nothing wrong with being optimistic about future. Also they are still on track with record deliveries. That is reality.

 

[ebartolome]

Based on this video, it looks like both 4680 and 2170 packs will be produced in Austin.