Tesla Aims to Start German 4680 Cell Output by Mid-2027

Tesla is targeting mid-2027 to begin 4680 battery-cell output at Grünheide, where it already makes Model Y vehicles, with cells, packs and finished cars planned at the same site.

The line is designed to reach as much as 18 gigawatt-hours of annual capacity. A gigawatt-hour measures how much energy a battery can store, so the figure describes the potential storage capacity of a year’s cell production. Tesla plans to hire more than 1,500 workers for cell manufacturing.

The project includes dry-electrode coating, which Tesla expects to improve manufacturing efficiency. Production costs in Europe are higher than in Asia, so the project’s economics depend partly on whether those efficiency gains materialize.

Tesla has identified battery availability as a limit on production growth, as covered in our third-quarter results report. The company also aims to file for permits in December 2026 for a second large production hall, expected to cover about 536,000 square meters.