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- Ross Gerber praised Tesla's battery advances after touring the Austin Gigafactory this week.
- In particular, he noted the footprint for production of the 4680 battery has come down in size considerably.
- "So the 4680 cell is probably one of the most important technological advances in modern history," Gerber told CNBC.
Tesla investor Ross Gerber took time to praise the electric vehicle maker for what he saw as powerful production advances.
After taking a tour of the company's Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, he tweeted that what he saw was "pretty insane."
In particular, he noted the footprint for production of the 4680 battery has come down in size considerably, allowing Tesla to scale up faster and more easily. With 4680 technology, Tesla will dominate cell production and batteries, he predicted.
In a CNBC interview, Gerber expanded on his observations, saying that battery production is the key to the success of alternative energy and EV transportation.
"So the 4680 cell is probably one of the most important technological advances in modern history," he said . "When they achieve this, which hopefully will be very soon, it's gonna bring Tesla up to the next level."
The batteries are meant help Tesla meet its goal of lowering manufacturing costs and raising the affordability of its vehicles. While the battery's use has already been announced in its Model Y vehicles, Tesla's current challenge is scaling up production.
Gerber's praise of Tesla's battery production advances comes after he briefly pursued a seat on the company's board, citing concerns about CEO Elon Musk's leadership and help the company "grow up."
But Gerber dropped his bid in late February after determining that shareholder concerns had been resolved. As of December 31, Gerber's firm, Gerber Kawasaki, owned 440,000 shares in the EV maker.