Supercharger Test Of Tesla's New 4680 Battery In A Model Y Shows Fast Charging Speeds

When it comes to electrical vehicles, the range on a full charge and charging speed are the most important aspects to consider. If the vehicle can't go far, or charges slowly, it won't be useful for a road trip or even simply a busy day.

Those are two of Tesla Inc's TSLA main advantages, both long-range and fast charging. But what about the brand new 4680 battery in a Model Y from Gigafactory Texas?

Until now, we haven't seen the charging speeds. But Electrek spotted a video from YouTube that shows the new vehicle testing at a Supercharger. Luckily, the owner got the vehicle down to 9% to show the true potential, as these vehicles charge faster the closer the battery is to empty. 

The vehicle was able to go from 9% charge to 50% charge in 12 minutes at Tesla's fastest V3 Supercharger. This equates to around 114 miles of EPA estimated range in 12 minutes, compared with the pack's full charge of an EPA estimated 279 miles.

To get to 80%, it took 34 minutes, or approximately 198 miles gained in 34 minutes. This is especially impressive considering the smaller size of the pack since smaller batteries normally have slower charging speeds.

Historically, Tesla has updated its new batteries over time to achieve faster charging speeds than when first released.

The Model 3, for comparison, had a top charging speed of 125kW when it was first released. Now in 2022, after multiple software updates, that top speed has been more than doubled to 250kW peak charging speeds, showing potential for even faster charging in this new battery pack.

Photo: Courtesy of Tesla