Tesla’s new Roadster battery could charge faster

Tesla’s updated Roadster will use 4680 battery cells again, but with new tweaks the company says will make it the fastest‑charging battery it has ever built. The earlier 4680 cells, in the 2023 Model Y and the Cybertruck, ran into heat and charging problems. Tesla canceled the 4680 Model Y in September 2023. The new Roadster cells promise to fix those issues.

Improved battery cooling

Lars Moravy, Tesla’s chief of engineering, described the pack in an interview with Hagerty. It uses aluminium cans instead of steel, which he said dissipates heat better, plus a double‑sided cooling jacket around each cell. He said the Roadster uses “special cells” and that owners should be able to push the car hard for up to 20 minutes on a track. The car should then recharge from 10 % to 80 % in no more than 10 minutes, which would make it the fastest‑charging Tesla yet, if his estimate is correct.

If Tesla starts production, the first version will be the street‑legal Performance variant that ordinary buyers can purchase. The improved battery is meant to tackle the heat and charging problems that hurt earlier 4680 vehicles, and Tesla says the design also helps the cells cope with racetrack driving.