Tesla Inc. plans to introduce a battery innovation in its Cybertrucks this year, which would significantly reduce battery manufacturing costs, the Information reported on Thursday, citing the senior director of the company's battery program, Bonne Eggleston.
According to Eggleston, Tesla intends to launch dry cathodes later this year, eliminating the need for costly and hazardous wet solvents as well as large drying ovens. The company previously noted that such a method could reduce manufacturing expenses by $1 billion annually, depending on the scale of electric vehicle production.
The carmaker previously planned to develop its own 4680 battery cells but faced difficulties with making the dry electrodes because the clumpy mixture of cathode metals dented the steel calender rollers it passed through. Since then, Tesla created several teams to fix the issue, with Eggleston reportedly stating that the company's focus right now is on getting the quality right, rather than the speed of production.
