Tesla Battery Sizes report
The most significant difference between an electric car and a classic car is the power source. The former relies on electricity, and the latter depends on oil. Electric vehicles need to rely on batteries for electricity storage, so the development of battery technology is as crucial as fuel tank technology. After technological changes in lead-acid batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, and nickel-hydrogen batteries, most mainstream electric vehicles today use lithium batteries.
When it comes to the development and popularity of electric cars, we have to mention Tesla. Tesla is the largest electric vehicle and solar panel company in the United States and the world's earliest manufacturer of self-driving cars. By 2021, Tesla Motors will have become the world's best-selling rechargeable car company. As a high-performance product in electric vehicles, Tesla has extremely high requirements on batteries. Tesla prefers lithium cobalt oxide batteries because this car battery has high efficiency, a large current, a fast-charging speed, and a light weight.
As we all know, Tesla has many car models, and each model uses a different battery size. For example, Tesla Model S uses NCR 18650 batteries, a model S with nearly 7000 batteries. If you consider buying a Tesla electric car, it is indispensable to know the different car models and the corresponding battery types and sizes in advance. The article introduced three types of Tesla batteries you should know.
Tesla Battery Types
Battery technology is constantly evolving over the years, and the latest advancement comes from Panasonic, which revealed a prototype of its new 4680 battery cell. Panasonic debuted its 4680 cylindrical battery last year. Tesla is one of the only automakers using cylindrical cells, and the additional energy capacity of the new 4680 cell battery is not a surprise. It is simply a lot larger than the current ones Tesla employs. On a pure volume basis, the 4680 is 5.5 times larger than the 2170 cells currently used in the Model 3 and Y and 8.0 times larger than the 18650 cells used in the Model S and X.
The 18650 Cell
The cylindrical 18650 cell is a lithium-ion type measuring 18mm in diameter and 65mm in length and weighs approximately 47 grams. At a nominal voltage of 3.7volts, each cell can be charged as high as 4.2 volts and discharged as low as 2.5 volts, with each cell storing up to 3500 mAh.
The 2170 Cell
The 2170 cell, which came in a cylinder, is slightly larger than the 18650 cells measuring at 21 millimeters by 70 millimeters and weighing approximately 68 grams. At a nominal voltage of 3.7volts, each cell can be charged as high as 4.2 volts and discharged as low as 2.5 volts, with each cell storing up to 4800 mAh.
The 4680 Cell
The 4680 cell is a shingle-spiral form design that is simpler to manufacture and comes in a package size of 46 mm in diameter and 80 mm in length. The weight is not available today. However, each cell is rated for around a whopping 9000 mAh, which is why the new Tesla tabless battery Is so good.
| Tesla Battery Types | Dimensions (Width x Height) | Car Model |
|---|---|---|
| 4680 | 46mm x 88mm, 1.6" x 3.1" | |
| 2170 | 21mm x 70mm, 0.8" x 2.8" | Model 3, Model Y |
| 18650 | 18mm x 65mm, 0.7" x 2.6" | Model S, Model X |
Tesla Battery Options
Greater capacity, more power, smaller size, lighter in weight, easier to manufacture on a mega scale and less expensive components are the challenges of designing an EV battery. Tesla has become a pioneer in the electric vehicle industry with leading technology.
You can find every Tesla model below, along with the expected average battery degradation over time. The table uses EPA and estimated EPA values published by Tesla.
New Cars
| Model | Sub Model | EPA, new | 60K miles* | 120K miles* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Long Range (mid-2021) | 405 | 393 | 372 |
| S | Plaid | 396 | 375 | 347 |
| X | Long Range (2022) | 360 | 341 | 334 |
| X | Plaid | 340 | 321 | 315 |
| Y | Long Range | 300 | 284 | 278 |
| Y | Dual Motor AWD | 280 | 265 | 259 |
| Y | Performance AWD | 280 | 265 | 259 |
| 3 | Standard Range | 220 | 208 | 204 |
| 3 | Standard Range Plus | 250 | 236 | 231 |
| 3 | Long Range AWD | 310 | 293 | 287 |
| 3 | Performance AWD | 322 | 304 | 298 |
- Pick the smallest battery if your budget is already pushed to the limit for the base car.
- Pick the largest battery if the cost is unimportant to you.
- Pick the largest battery if the best performance is important to you.
For most of us, we have a budget and want to know which battery fits our needs best. Battery capacity degradation over time or distance traveled is one of the several main concerns about electric cars. You should know that a Tesla has a little battery degradation in the first 60K miles like all IEC cars.
