According to a Twitter user Carsonight, who has proven to be familiar with Giga Nevada, "There are 4 Tesla semis being built at GFNV. They will use the new higher density 2170 L cells from GFNV, not the 4680s. There will be three packs in a row, each half as long as a Model S. There will be 2 for road testing, 1 for durability testing, and 1 for Alaska for cold weather testing. The source does not know if Nevada or Texas will be the location of assembly line. My best guess is Texas."
Month ago Torque News reported that Giga Nevada was adding a huge building and we thought this could for housing the Tesla Semi production line. Well, at least for tests. And it looks like this is true.
Also, note that what's interesting in this report is that the new Tesla Semi units will feature three 2170 L battery packs. Two units will reportedly be used for road testing, one for durability testing, and another will be sent to Alaska for cold-weather testing.
Scoop.There are 4 Tesla semis being built at GFNV. They will use the new higher density 2170 L cells from GFNV, not the 4680s. There will be three packs in a row, each half as long as a Model S. There will be 2 for road testing, 1 for durability testing, and 1 for Alaska...— Carsonight (@carsonight) December 27, 2020
Many of us thought Tesla was going to use its new 4680 battery cells in its new vehicles, but now we are hearing about the 2170 L batter packs.
"Quite unsurprisingly, the notion of the new Tesla Semi prototypes using higher density 2170 “L” battery cells incited some strong reactions from the EV community, especially considering that the electric car maker has already announced its shift to 4680 battery cells for its vehicles. The Semi is one of Tesla’s most ambitious projects, after all, and thus, it would make sense for the company to utilize its best battery tech available for the vehicle," writes Simon Alvarez at Teslarati.
Speaking of Tesla's 4680 battery cells, today Torque News learned that Panasonic will start producing prototypes of Tesla’s 4680 battery cells as early as 2021, according to a recent report from Japanese media. The tech conglomerate is planning to expand its capacity in Giga Nevada by 10% next year and is reportedly exploring a big battery venture in Norway at the same time.
I think eventually Tesla will use the 4680 battery cells, what about you?
Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebok, Linkedin and Youtube.
