Tesla’s new tabless battery cell patent, titled “Cell with a Tabless Electrode,” was granted by the USPTO on November 4, 2025. It represents a breakthrough that redefines how battery cells manage current flow and heat. This invention disclosed in patent, often referred to as the tabless battery cell, promises improved performance, simplified manufacturing, and greater energy efficiency for electric vehicles (EVs) and stationary storage systems.

Tesla’s New Tabless Battery Cell Patent – Basic Details of Patent:

• Title: Cell with a Tabless Electrode
• Patent Number: US12463256B2
• Assignee: Tesla, Inc., Austin, TX (US)
• Filing Date: January 13, 2023
• Grant Date: November 4, 2025
• Publication No.: US20230155183A1

Tesla’s New Tabless Battery Cell Patent – The Challenge Tesla Aims to Solve:

Traditional cylindrical lithium-ion cells use the familiar “jelly roll” design, where cathode, anode, and separator layers are rolled together. In such cells, current must travel through a narrow welded metal tab to reach the external terminal. These tabs introduce several inefficiencies:

• Added parts and assembly complexity
• Longer current paths that increase resistive losses and heat generation
• Reduced efficiency during fast charging and high-load driving

Tesla’s patented tech eliminates these bottlenecks by integrating conductive regions directly along the electrode width, creating a tabless current path. The result is shorter electron travel distances, reduced resistance, and more uniform heat distribution critical for both high power and long battery life.

Tesla’s New Tabless Battery Cell Patent – Inside the Patent Design:

The innovation centers on a new electrode and separator stack architecture:

• A first substrate (current collector) with a partially coated conductive region for external electrical connection.
• An inner separator placed over the first substrate.
• A second substrate layered above, forming a complete electrode stack.
• The entire structure is rolled around a central axis to form a cylindrical cell.

Depending on the configuration, either the anode or cathode substrate can sit closest to the axis. Selective insulation is applied along the electrode width to maintain low-resistance contact with the cell can or cap.

This distributed conduction system eliminates the need for narrow welded tabs, improving both mechanical strength and electrical uniformity across the cell.

Tesla’s New Tabless Battery Cell Patent – Simplified Manufacturing Process:

Tesla’s patent outlines a streamlined production method:

• Prepare the first coated substrate with a conductive edge.
• Layer the separator and second substrate.
• Optionally add an outer separator.
• Roll the electrode stack around a central core.
• Insert the rolled “jelly roll” into a metal can.
• Weld the conductive substrate region to the cap’s contact surface, ensuring a robust low-impedance connection.

This approach reduces the number of discrete components and welding steps making it easier to scale production.

Tesla’s New Tabless Battery Cell Patent – Performance and Cost Advantages:

Tesla’s tabless cell architecture offers multiple benefits for EVs and energy storage systems:

• Lower Internal Resistance: Shorter current paths reduce ohmic losses, improving power output and enabling faster charging.
• Enhanced Thermal Management: Even current distribution minimizes localized heating, improving safety and performance.
• Reduced Material and Labor Costs: Fewer tabs and welds mean fewer assembly steps and lower manufacturing costs.
• Improved Durability: Uniform current flow and reduced mechanical stress enhance long-term cycle life.

Tesla’s New Tabless Battery Cell Patent – Implications for EV Battery Packs:

At the pack level, Tesla’s design could significantly improve energy density and thermal uniformity. Lower-resistance cells can deliver higher power without overheating, supporting faster DC charging and sustained high-performance driving.

This innovation also simplifies cell-to-pack integration, reducing bottlenecks in power delivery and enabling more compact, lightweight designs for EVs.

Tesla’s New Tabless Battery Cell Patent – Materials and Engineering Details:

The patented cell uses a nickel or nickel-based alloy cap at the top of the metal can, featuring helical grooves that improve mechanical stability and electrical conductivity.

The conductive electrode edge directly contacts this cap via a welded joint, ensuring a durable, low-impedance path throughout the battery’s lifetime.

Tesla’s New Tabless Battery Cell Patent – What Comes Next?

While the patent sets the technical groundwork, the true test lies in large-scale implementation.

Tesla’s New Tabless Battery Cell Patent – Key areas to watch include:

• Production scalability: How reliably the conductive regions can be manufactured at high volume.
• Thermal and cycle life data: Real-world validation of efficiency gains versus traditional tabbed cells.
• Integration with existing formats: Compatibility with Tesla’s 4680 and other cylindrical cell architectures.

If Tesla successfully scales this technology, it could reshape the future of EV battery manufacturing delivering longer range, faster charging, and lower costs.

Tesla’s New Tabless Battery Cell Patent – Conclusion:

Tesla’s tabless battery patent represents more than a design tweak it’s a major advancement in energy storage engineering. By rethinking how current flows inside the cell, Tesla addresses one of the most persistent inefficiencies in battery technology. For drivers, this could mean faster charging, better performance, and longer-lasting batteries. For the industry, it offers a pathway to simpler, more cost-effective manufacturing as global EV demand accelerates.

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