Tesla just posted the first video from inside its cathode factory at Giga Texas, and it is the first time the company’s North America account has actually walked a camera through that part of the Austin plant.
Tesla North America (@tesla_na) shared the clip Friday afternoon, writing that it is “operating the first large scale cathode production facility in North America as part of our 4680 cell production in Austin, TX.”
Cathode material is one of the pricey, messy parts of a lithium-ion cell. It is the positive electrode that shuttles lithium ions with the anode, and for years Tesla has bought a lot of it from outside suppliers while trying to pull more of that work in-house at Austin. Building cathode at the same site as cell production is meant to cut cost, shorten the supply chain, and give Tesla more control over one of the most expensive pieces of a 4680 pack.
Giga Texas has been the center of that bet. The plant already builds Cybertruck and supports Semi and Model Y work, and Tesla has talked about a closed loop there for years, including the earlier dry cathode 4680 Cybertruck milestone. Friday’s post shows the cathode line running, not a tonnage figure, start date, or list of which cars already use those cells.
That tour sits next to Tesla’s broader battery push, including work to recover battery materials in Texas and Nevada. Tesla did not say whether the factory is at full rate. Treat the video as a plant tour, not a quarterly scoreboard.
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