Tesla intends to develop four new versions of its own battery to power Cybertruck, the future robotaxi and other electric vehicles. This is reported by Reuters with reference to The Information. The information was shared by people familiar with the manufacturer's plans.
The company currently buys most of its electric vehicle batteries from other companies, including Panasonic Energy and LG Energy. However, it is trying to increase the production of its 4,680 battery cells in the United States to reduce costs and increase profitability.
However, the development of the 4680 battery has problems: Tesla loses between 70% and 80% of its cathode material during test production, compared to conventional battery manufacturers who lose less than 2% of their components due to manufacturing defects.
The cathodes, a key part of the battery, store and release the energy that drives an electric vehicle.
Last year, it became known that the company was also trying to scale up production of the 4680 version with dry-coated cathodes, but faced problems with the speed of the production process.
Tesla plans to introduce dry cathodes in Cybertruck batteries by the middle of next year. By 2026, the company intends to introduce four versions of the 4680 with a dry cathode, one of which will be used to power the robotaxi.