Giga Texas scales dry‑electrode 4680 cell output to support Model Y and Cybertruck ramps
- Tesla said in its January 28, 2026 shareholder update that Giga Texas has started making 4680 cells with dry anode and dry cathode processes, and is using some packs in Model Y vehicles. - The company had previously redirected its in-house 4680 cells toward Cybertruck, but by late January it said Austin was producing both electrodes locally and putting the cells back into some Model Y builds. - The move extends Tesla’s long-delayed push to simplify battery manufacturing by removing solvent-heavy coating steps and more tightly localizing supply in Texas. (tesla.com)
A lithium-ion battery electrode is usually made like paint: powders are mixed into a wet slurry, spread on metal foil, then baked dry in long ovens. Tesla says Giga Texas is now making both sides of its 4680 cell without that wet-coating step. (marketscreener.com) (tesla.com) Tesla disclosed the change in its January 28, 2026 fourth-quarter shareholder update, saying it now produces dry-electrode 4680 cells with both anode and cathode made in Austin. The company also said it had begun producing battery packs for some Model Y vehicles. (tesla.com) That marked a shift from the prior two years, when Tesla had largely steered its in-house 4680 output toward Cybertruck. By January 2026, outside trackers and industry publications reported the cells had returned to at least some U.S.-built Model Y configurations. (electrive.com) (electrek.co) Dry coating matters because the conventional process uses solvents, drying ovens and recovery equipment that add time, floor space and energy demand. Reuters reported in 2023 that Tesla had long pitched dry coating as a way to cut factory size, cost, energy use and production cycle time while improving cell performance. (marketscreener.com) The 4680 cell is Tesla’s larger cylindrical format, named for its dimensions: 46 millimeters wide and 80 millimeters tall. At Battery Day in 2020, Tesla tied that format to structural battery packs and a manufacturing overhaul meant to lower cost per kilowatt-hour. (slideshare.net) (notateslaapp.com) The hard part was not the cell shape but the cathode process. Reuters reported in 2023 that Tesla had been able to use dry coating on the anode more easily, while dry cathode remained the bottleneck that kept the company from fully delivering the process at scale. (marketscreener.com) Tesla’s January update is the clearest company statement yet that Austin has crossed that line into dual-electrode dry production. The same update said Tesla expects domestic cathode material in Texas and lithium iron phosphate lines in Nevada to begin production in 2026, extending its broader push to regionalize battery supply. (tesla.com) By April 22, 2026, Tesla’s first-quarter update said it had “began ramping lithium, cathode and LFP production,” but it did not provide a fresh 4680 output figure or say how much Model Y or Cybertruck volume was being supplied from Austin cells. (tesla.com) So the clearest verified development is narrower than the online chatter: Tesla has officially said Giga Texas is making 4680 cells with dry anode and dry cathode processes, and that some Model Y packs are already coming from that line. (tesla.com)
