Photo: Tesla
Tesla is awaiting the final certification of the Giga Texas-made Model Y, which will be assembled with a 4680 structural battery pack. After receiving the final certification, the first deliveries will begin, which, according to Elon Musk, should happen soon.
In its latest Q4 and Fiscal 2021 report and subsequent Earnings Call, Tesla shared a lot of interesting details. Among other things, the company said that the assembly of Model Y at Giga Texas began already at the end of 2021. This is in line with common sightings, as new cars have been spotted multiple times in the territory near the factory and even on the public road near Giga Texas. The observations, together with the company's statement, indicate that the first vehicles will be received by customers soon.
Since Model Y assembly in Texas has been going on for some time, it is possible that Tesla may have stockpiled some vehicles in order to initially deliver a larger batch of vehicles than it typically would. Tesla said that the cars are currently undergoing final certification, after which it plans to begin the first deliveries.
"Builds of Model Ys started in late 2021 at Gigafactory Texas. After final certification of Austin-made Model Y, we plan to start deliveries to customers."
In addition to this great news about the imminent start of the first deliveries from Giga Texas, during the Earnings Call, CEO Elon Musk said that at the factory in Austin, the manufacturer is building cars with a structural battery pack and 4680 cells. Previously, it was assumed that the assembly of cars at Giga Texas would initially be using 2170 battery cells, while the first cars with new cells were slated to roll off the Giga Berlin assembly line; however, at some point, the company changed its plan.
"So, in Texas, we're building the Model Ys with the structural battery pack and the 4680 cells, and we'll start delivering after final certification of the vehicle, which should be fairly soon."
At the end of last year, observers of the Giga Texas construction progress on several occasions spotted Model Y bodies without a bottom. This indicated that they were designed to install a structural battery pack using 4680 battery cells.
The use of its new cells for the production of cars in the U.S. is a more logical step, in terms of costs and the overall situation. Firstly, Giga Berlin is not yet ready to host the production of battery cells, since the construction of the building is still not complete, and the entire factory has not yet received the final environmental permit for construction. Second, shipping new battery cells from the Fremont factory—where Tesla has a production line on Cato Road—to Giga Texas is much cheaper.
© 2022, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.
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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter