News
Should Tesla move away from its battery technology?
Should Tesla replace its current battery system when it works so well?

The 18650 battery cells Tesla Motors has been using in its Model S, have proven to perform very well compared to other types of battery chemistries on the market. The cylindrical battery which measures 18 mm wide and 65 mm in height, hence its name 18/650, has been the main component of Tesla’s battery pack, but could there be a possibility that it would soon move away from this proven technology?
Tesla isn’t married to 18650
Tesla Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel has recently said the company isn’t married to cylindrical cells and the company would move to flat cell manufacturing if and when there are greater advantages to replacing the 18650. This has started speculations in the world of investors, yet again.
Investor's Corner
LIVE BLOG: Tesla (TSLA) Q1 2025 Company Update and earnings call
The following are live updates from Tesla’s Q1 2025 earnings call.

Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Q1 2025 earnings call comes on the heels of the company’s Q1 2025 Update, which was released after the closing bell on April 22, 2025.
Tesla’s Q1 2025 Results:
- Total Revenues: $19.3 billion
- Total automotive revenues: $13.967 billion
- Total GAAP gross margin: 16.3%
- Gross Profit: $3.15 billion
- EPS non-GAAP: $0.27 per share
- Free cash flow: $664 million
The following are live updates from Tesla’s Q1 2025 earnings call. I will be updating this article in real time, so please keep refreshing the page to view the latest updates on this story.
16:20 CT – Hello, and happy earnings day to everyone! While Tesla missed the Street’s expectations, the stock has not shown its typical volatility at all. That being said, this earnings call is quite interesting due to the upcoming “Company Update.”
Tesla also reiterated its section about new vehicles that “remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025” in its Update Letter. What are these vehicles? Just variants of the Model 3 or Model Y? Was the Cybertruck LR RWD one of them already? Or are they actually new cars that we’ve just never seen before?
Either 10, ten minutes and counting.
Tesla’s livestream of its Q1 2025 Company Update and earnings call can be viewed below.
Investor's Corner
Tesla (TSLA) releases first quarter 2025 earnings results
Tesla’s quarter-end cash, cash equivalents and investments stand at a healthy $37 billion.

Tesla’s Q1 2025 earnings were released in an Update Letter, which was posted on the company’s Investor Relations website after markets closed today, April 22, 2025.
Tesla Q1 2025 Deliveries
Tesla’s first quarter vehicle deliveries fell short of expectations, with the EV maker delivering a total of 336,681 vehicles, comprised of 323,800 Model 3/Y and 12,881 other models, worldwide. Vehicle production was at 362,615 units in the first quarter, comprised of 345,454 Model 3/Y and 17,161 other models.
Tesla Energy continued its momentum in Q1 2025, with the division deploying 10.4 GWh of energy storage products during the quarter.
What Wall Street Expects
As noted in a Forbes report, expectations are high that Tesla will report a gain of $0.35 per share on $21.85 billion in revenue, though whisper numbers suggest that the company will only post a gain of $0.31 per share. Analysts polled by FactSet expect Tesla to see an EPS of $0.41 per share on revenues of $21.27 billion, as noted in an Investors’ Business Daily report.
Tesla’s Q1 2025 Results In a Nutshell
Following are highlights of Tesla’s Q1 2025 update Letter:
- Total Revenues: $19.3 billion
- Total automotive revenues: $13.967 billion
- Total GAAP gross margin: 16.3%
- Gross Profit: $3.15 billion
- EPS non-GAAP: $0.27 per share
- Free cash flow: $664 million
Key Updates:
Tesla’s total revenue decreased 9% YoY to $19.3 billion YoY. This was due to a decline in vehicle deliveries, in part due to the new Model Y changeover and reduced vehicle average selling price (ASP), among other factors.
Tesla is still profitable, though operating income decreased 66% YoY to $0.4 billion. This also resulted in a a 2.1% operating margin. Tesla’s profitability in the first quarter was affected by reduced vehicle ASP, a decline in vehicle deliveries, and an increase in operating expenses driven by AI and other R&D projects partially offset by a decrease in SG&A, among other factors.
Tesla’s quarter-end cash, cash equivalents and investments stand at a healthy $37 billion. The sequential increase of $0.4 billion was primarily the result of positive free cash flow of $0.7 billion.
Below is Tesla’s first quarter 2025 Update Letter.
TSLA-Q1-2025-Update by Simon Alvarez
This article is being updated.
News
Tesla is thriving in Japan and outpacing homegrown EVs
Imports, which include vehicles from Tesla and BYD, now claim about 75% of overall EV sales in the country.

Tesla is seeing robust sales in Japan. This was hinted at in data from the Japan Automobile Importers Association’s “others” category, which indicated a 56% yearly increase to 2,120 units in Q1 2025.
Tesla constitutes most of the vehicles in the Japan Automobile Importers Association’s “others” category, as noted in a Nikkei Asia report.
Japan’s Tesla Boom
Car sales by “others” in Japan soared 89% to 1,249 units in March, a monthly high, Nikkei noted. Fueling this surge in vehicle demand seemed to be the rollout of the new Model Y, as well as incentives like a five-year free Supercharging offer for previous-generation Model Y units.
Japan’s overall electric vehicle market, however, shrank 33% to 59,736 units in 2024, comprising under 2% of total auto sales, the lowest among major economies. Imports, which include Tesla and BYD, now claim about 75% of overall EV sales in the country.
Weak Local Competition
One of the reasons behind Tesla’s surge in Japan could be the subpar EVs offered by Japanese automakers. So far, only eight models are available from homegrown automakers, and none could really hold a candle to vehicles like the new Model Y in terms of features and performance.
This was highlighted by the Nissan Leaf, which saw a 32% sales drop to 1,133 units, and the Toyota bZ4X, which saw a 76% drop in sales to just 85 units in the first quarter. Combined, Japanese brands sold a total of 2,063 EVs, less than Tesla’s estimated figures for the quarter.
Yoshiaki Kawano, an analyst at S&P Global, noted that the weak EVs from Japan’s homegrown automakers result in consumers opting for imported vehicles like Teslas. “There are few homegrown EV options, so in some cases people who want to buy EVs reluctantly choose imports,” Kawano stated.
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