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Tesla unveiled its latest structural battery with 4,680 cells during a Gigafactory Berlin tour ahead of production of the Model Y at the new factory.
The start of production at Gigafactory Berlin is not only significant for Tesla’s growth in Europe, but it will also mark the launch of a significant new version of the Model Y.
Tesla plans to build the new Model Y at the Gigafactory Berlin on a whole new platform with its structural battery pack.
Earlier this year, Electrek obtained the first image of a Tesla structural battery prototype.
At its Battery Day event last year, Tesla not only unveiled its new 4680 battery cell, but also a new battery architecture built around the new cell.
Inspired by aerospace innovation of building airplane wings as fuel tanks instead of building fuel tanks inside the wings, Tesla decided to build a battery pack that acts as a body structure, connecting the lower front and rear parts.
Currently, Tesla builds battery packs by combining cells into modules which, when assembled, form a battery pack. This battery pack is installed in the platform of the vehicle.
The difference with this new concept is that Tesla does not use modules and instead builds the entire battery as the structural platform of the vehicle, with the cells in the battery helping to solidify the platform into one. single large unit.
Using its expertise in giant castings, Tesla can connect a large one-piece rear and front underbody to this structural battery pack.
This new design reduces the number of parts and the total mass of the battery pack, and therefore allows Tesla to improve the efficiency and ultimately the range of its electric vehicles.
Today at its Gigafest, a kind of country fair at Gigafactory Berlin, Tesla unveiled the latest version of the structural battery pack.
Here’s the first time we’ve seen the pack with the single front and rear castings:
What’s impressive is that this relatively simple platform is responsible for a large part of the entire vehicle and consists of just 3 main parts, a battery, and two large castings. .
Tesla also showed a section of the structural battery showing the 4,680 battery cells (via Paul Kelly):
Tesla also showed that adding the seat mounting bracket directly to the battery:
During a presentation, they said they will be able to mount the triggers directly on them and lower the body around, which will greatly simplify the assembly process.
All of these manufacturing improvements put together are expected to dramatically improve the cost and efficiency of the Model Y.
At the event, Musk said Tesla is currently aiming to start production of the Model Y at Gigafactory Berlin next month.
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