Battery revolution: on the left the small wet battery, on the right Tesla’s new dry battery Photo: Siegfried Purschke
By Michael Sauerbier
A year after the start of car production, Tesla also wants to produce batteries in Brandenburg from 2023. The carmaker presented its new battery technology in Grünheide on Sunday.
Instead of thousands of small, thin lithium-ion cells, Tesla wants to pack a few thick “4680” batteries in its car batteries in the future. They are faster, cheaper and more environmentally friendly to produce.
1000 curious people found out about the new technology on Sunday and asked about training and jobs.
Lena (9) from Slubice (Poland) in the Mini-Tesla at the information day in Grünheide. Her parents asked for jobs Photo: Siegfried Purschke
Battery production does not require water. The chemicals in the new dry cell batteries are pressed into a film in powder form and rolled up for the round cell. So far they have been applied wet and then dried.
The battery factory is already in place and interior work is underway. According to BZ information, production should start “in the first quarter of 2023”. With batteries for 500,000 Teslas per year, the maximum capacity of the car factory. Instead of almost 10,000 “Model Y” a week, it still only manages a good 1,500.
Engine production is scheduled to begin in Grünheide this year. So far, drives and batteries have been supplied from China.