Does Tesla need more batteries?

Tesla aims to grow consistently at a rate of 40–50% per year, and to do that, it is going to need more and more batteries. Tesla’s battery forecasts showed a gap between the production limits of its battery cell suppliers and Tesla’s internal demand for its automotive and energy storage businesses.

What type of battery does Tesla use?

That’s worth noting, too, because Tesla is one of the only car manufacturers using a cylindrical battery type. GM and others are using rectangular “packs” or “blades.” GM Ultium battery, courtesy of GM. That advantage is two-fold. First, it means that Tesla will almost exclusively benefit from the new 4680 cells (at least, initially).

Does Tesla still use lithium?

"We intend to continue to use suppliers of lithium, so it's not that Tesla will do all of it," Musk said. Albemarle plans to build a lithium processing facility in South Carolina that will refine 100,000 tonnes of the metal each year, with construction slated to begin next year and the facility coming online sometime later this decade.

What chemistry does a Tesla battery have?

According to the video, Tesla's in-house produced 4680-type battery cell (acquired about six months ago) is equipped with a NCM 811 cathode chemistry. The material characterization indicates 81.6% nickel content. The amount of cobalt and manganese has not been revealed, but it appears that there is no aluminum (so no NCA or NCMA type).

What is Tesla's new cell?

Tesla’s new cell disrupts the trend, charging nearly as fast as a smaller cell, while bringing all the benefits of a larger cell to the table. Tesla was able to take the best of both worlds, completely disrupting the small but growing world of automotive battery cell production.

Does Tesla use a silicon battery?

Silicon is used in Tesla’s batteries today, but its physical properties make it a bit of a challenging element to use at higher volumes. “The challenge with silicon is that it expands 4× when charged with lithium,” Baglino said.