Tesla 4680 Battery: Specs, Size, Range, IFP, & Price!
Last updated on September 21st, 2023 at 09:38 am
Without Electric Vehicle Batteries (EVBs), electronic vehicles cannot function. EVBs are the main source of power for the engine of electric vehicles.
And now, Tesla 4680 is the greatest and latest battery to power Tesla’s electric vehicles. It has six times more power and five times more energy capacity, unlike the 21700 cells.
And this means the Tesla 4680 battery is an exciting development as long as we talk about EVBs. Its size is nothing new in the industry, but with Tesla comes significant improvements.
Tesla’s 4680 battery gets its name from its cylindrical size of 46 mm in diameter and 80 mm in height, making it larger than the 21700 and 18650. It has five times more capacity and power, containing 690 cells in the standard range and 828 cells in the long range. It is a ‘million-mile battery.’
Let us now consider the specifications of the Tesla 4680, how big the battery pack is, how many cells it contains, the actual cost of the battery, and how long it will last on a Tesla EV.
What Are the Specifications of the Tesla 4680 Battery?
Several remarkable specifications perform exceptionally well.
Although the specifications of some properties may vary, there are still some common specifications;
#1. Capacity:
Tesla’s 4680 battery, according to the records, has a maximum capacity of about 25- 26 Ah, surpassing the 2170 cell’s capacity of 5600 mAh.
#2. Size:
The 4680 battery of Tesla is 46 mm in diameter and 80 mm in length, and this increase in volume also improves the capacity and power.
#3. Weight:
Although there are no official statements regarding the weight of a battery, a few evaluations show that a Tesla 4680 battery cell weighs about 355g.
The table below shows the properties and specifications of the Tesla 4680 battery.
| Properties | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Battery type | 4680 battery |
| Cell weight | 355 g |
| Cell size | 46 mm x 80 mm |
| Cathode type | NCM |
| Anode type | Graphite |
| Nickel content | 81.6% |
| Energy density | 272- 296 Wh/kg (estimate) |
| Total capacity | 9,000 mAh (estimate) |
| Total energy | 96- 99 Wh (estimate) |
| Tabbed or tablets | Tabless |
#4. Pros of 4680 Battery
- It will perform in warm and all weather conditions as a dry cell battery.
- It is a unique product from a production point of view since it is a large battery cell with a low production cost.
- The 4680 battery has more capacity, is larger, has more weight, and, most importantly, a longer life span.
- The charging is really fast. Many reports claim that charging from zero to full in less than one hour is possible.
#5. Cons of 4680 Battery
- Only a few plants engage in its production, so it has a limited supply.
- It only comes with the new Model Ys that the Gigafactory produces.
- Since it is new, it is reasonable to conclude that there are a lot of unknowns.
How Big Is the Tesla 4680 Battery Pack?
Tesla 4680 gets its name due to its corresponding external dimensions, 46 mm x 80 mm (diameter x length). It is 5.5 times larger than the 2170 battery cell, which it is to replace.
It stores five times more energy while at the same time giving a driver 16 percent more driving range.
It is bigger than both the 2170 batteries and the 1865 batteries, as we can see in the table below.
| Properties | 4680 Battery | 2170 Battery | 1865 Battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Models | New Model Ys | Model 3 and Y | Model S and X |
| Total Energy | 96- 99 Wh (estimate) | 17- 19 Wh (estimate) | 10- 12 Wh (estimate) |
| Cell Weight | 355 g | 68 g | 47 g |
| Cell Size | 46mm x 80mm | 21 mm x 70 mm | 18 mm x 65 mm |
| Total Capacity | 9,000 mAh (estimate) | 4,800 mAh | 3,500 mAh |
| Cathode Type | NCM | NCM, NCA | NCA |
The increment in the height and diameter of the 4680 battery cells directly affects the cell’s total volume.
And this makes the Tesla 4680 battery bigger and better than the 21700 battery.
Tesla’s 4680 can exhibit a five-times increase in capacity and a six-times increase in power.
Compared to the 21700, Tesla’s cost per kWh is a 56% improvement. Another factor that makes the 4680 battery bigger than the others is that it has a thicker cell can (enclosure).
And this makes the 4680 battery heavier than the others. Furthermore, the 2170-type batteries have a weight penalty of 125- 250 μm while the 4680 is 500- 600 μm.
The cathode thickness of the 4680 battery is about 20 to 25% percent higher at 85 microns.
Meanwhile, the 2170-type battery is about 60- 70 microns, which is less in weight.
How Many Cells Are In the Tesla 4680 Battery?
As of February 2022, the rumor is that the first generation of the Tesla 4680 battery cell is 98 Wh. And more improvements are expected to come.
With the improvement in energy density, there will be higher energy of at least 10% (108 Wh) by 2023 and 9.3% (118 Wh) by 2024.
As of April 2022, the expectation is that there will be two battery pack configurations for the 4680-type cells;
- 690 cells (69 x 10) for the standard range
- 828 cells (69 x 12) for the long-range
However, the Tesla 4680 battery is available in Model S, X, and 3. The Model X or S has about 4,416 batteries, while the Model 3 has about 2,496 batteries.
How Much Does the Tesla 4680 Battery Cost?
Like all prospective Tesla owners, I am sure you are more concerned about whether the Tesla 4680 battery will need replacing and how much it will cost.
According to Recurrent, Tesla’s Electric vehicle battery replacement costs between $5,000 to $20,000.
However, CEO Elon Musk said in 2019 that replacing a Tesla battery would cost between $5,000 to $10,000.
However, note that your battery’s degradation rate is a function of several factors, like how you charge your electric vehicle, the type of environment you usually drive in, etc.
Battery replacement rarely happens, so it can be challenging to get up-to-date information about its cost.
Following the 2019 data from the Mack Institute for Innovation and Management at the Wharton School of Business, there was a 16% decline in battery pack costs between 2007 and 2019.
The authors also estimated that the cost of an EV battery was $161/kWh.
Going by that estimate of 2019, battery replacement of a 100 kWh battery (like the Tesla long-range vehicles) is $16,100 with taxes and labor aside.
If this battery price reduction keeps up, then by 2025, the price should become $56/kWh or $5,600 for a 100kWh battery.
Notice that because of the downward trend in the market price of lithium, the cost of other components of batteries keeps rising.
But since the beginning of 2023, the price keep has been coming back down and has fallen to 20% as of April.
Furthermore, with the increase in lithium-ion batteries, the replacement cost of batteries will remain the same for at least another year or two.
Moreover, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) report in April 2019 was not as kind as the Wharton analysis above.
According to ICCT, the estimated cost for battery replacement by 2025 would be $120/kWh to $135/kWh.
And this means the battery replacement cost for 100 kWh will be $13,500 by 2025.
From the report, ICCT says there is usually underpredicting when forecasting the battery replacement cost.
By performing a slightly rosier analysis, the battery pack cost in 2025 will be $89/kWh and $56/kWh by 2030.
What Are the Differences Between the Tesla Battery Pack and the Tesla 4680 Battery?
The tesla battery pack specifications outline crucial details about Tesla’s revolutionary 4680 battery. While the traditional battery packs consist of cylindrical cells, the 4680 battery employs an innovative tabless design, resulting in improved energy density and performance. Additionally, the 4680 battery integrates structural elements, reducing vehicle weight and increasing overall efficiency. These advancements mark a significant step forward in Tesla’s quest for sustainable energy solutions.
How Long Does the 4680 Battery Run on a Tesla?
The 2021 impact report says that the Tesla company batteries will last as long as the vehicle.
The report estimated that the vehicle got scrapped after around 200,000 miles of driving in the U.S. but about 150,000 miles in Europe.”
The batteries of Tesla have a warranty covering them all. But each model has a slightly different warranty. Generally, this would be for eight years or about 100,000 to 150,000 miles.
During the Energy Storage & Sustainable Engineering video conference in October 2020, the head of Tesla’s battery research team, Jeff Dahn, shared his research.
His research encompassed a battery with a two million-mile lifespan. He tested the battery over 20,000 cycles and at a depth of charge-discharge of 100%.
The battery can last 15,000 cycles while maintaining 90% charge of the battery capacity.
Therefore, by multiplying 15,000 by the 217 miles of his estimation, we will get about 3.25 million miles. Not that; this is a full discharge and charge in every cycle.
Also, on 17th January 2021, Tesla made a video post inviting experts to its battery team.
The video had an accompanying song by Don Hinton ‘Honey Bee’ with the words ‘Walk a million miles.’
With that invitation, Tesla was sending a message that it has successfully developed a million-mile battery, which can only be the 4680 battery.
Hey, I’m Michael Davis, a 35-year-old with a degree and a love for cars and tech. Since I was a kid, cars have been my thing—so much that I even thought they ran on magic beans! Fast forward, and I’ve built Vehicle Army, your one-stop-shop for easy-to-understand car facts.
