Tesla said as far back as 2020 that it was going to switch from using larger 18650 power cells to its own cell format known as 4680, but the production hadn’t begun until now.
The only car with the new cells available right now is the Tesla Model Y: make sure you pick All-Wheel Drive on the manufacturer’s website.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said a few years ago that using 4680-format power cells would increase driving ranges by an average of 16%, improve heat dissipation and cost the company half as much as the larger cells.
The production of the Model Y SUV with these batteries nominally started last year, but the first cars were sold to the company employees and residents of Austin, Texas, where the automaker’s U.S. factory is located. Now that the resources were finally secured for large-volume production, the car is available to everyone.