Elon Musk announced in a social media post on X that Tesla’s recent breakthroughs with its 4680 battery cell program mark a significant milestone for the EV firm.

Tesla’s Battery Breakthrough

Tesla originally introduced the dry-electrode concept at Battery Day in 2020. It was positioned as a means of eliminating solvent-based electrode drying, shrinking factory footprints, and lowering costs.

Though the firm produced 4680 cells for a time, the dry cathode part of the process became too difficult to industrialize.

In its Q4 and FY 2025 update letter, Tesla confirmed that it’s now producing 4680 cells, with its anode and cathode produced during the dry electrode process. This has the potential to drastically reduce energy consumption, marking a milestone for Tesla’s production, engineering, and supply chain teams.

In the post on X, Musk stated that making the dry-electrode process work at scale was “incredibly difficult.”

“Making the dry electrode process work at scale, which is a major breakthrough in lithium battery production technology, was incredibly difficult. Congratulations to the @Tesla engineering, production and supply chain teams and our strategic partner suppliers for this excellent achievement!” Musk wrote in the post.

The official X account later expanded on Musk’s comments, stating that the manufacturing “cuts cost, energy use & factory complexity while dramatically increasing scalability.”

Bonne Eggleston, Tesla’s Vice President of 4680 batteries, also stated that “Getting dry electrode technology to scale is just the beginning.”

In addition to confirming that it’s producing 4680 cells in Austin, Tesla has also stated that it’s begun producing the 2026 Model Y vehicles with 4680 battery packs. The firm is undergoing this strategy to protect against supply chain challenges.

For the second consecutive year, Tesla was ranked #1 on the 2026 Global Sustainable Supply Chain Rankings. The company was praised for disclosing the specific carbon footprint of its lithium, nickel, and cobalt sourcing.