Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that his company’s new dry cathode production method will “significantly reduce” battery costs.
The American electric vehicle (EV) giant revealed earlier this year that it had begun producing its 4680 battery cells using anodes and cathodes that were both made using a dry electrode process.
The revelation came five years after the company first mooted a dry-electrode concept during its Battery Day presentation in 2020, pitched as a method to simplify production and lower costs.
Earlier this week, Tesla news and rumour site Not a Tesla App found the patent Tesla had filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) describing its new dry cathode production process.
Replying on X (formerly Twitter) to the article’s original claim that it would “cut battery production costs by nearly half”, Elon Musk clarified that “It will not cut battery costs in half, but it will significantly reduce the cost of battery cathode production”.
It will not cut battery costs in half, but it will significantly reduce the cost of battery cathode production
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 26, 2026
With 4680 battery cells using the new dry cathode process already in mass production for use in certain Model Y units, it is expected Tesla will begin a wider rollout throughout the remainder of this year and into 2027.
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Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.