Comment Re:"Advanced battery technology" is a flashlight b (Score 1) 209
Tesla's system is like a two level RAID array for batteries. The car can work around weak cells and failing modules with software and targeted replacement (a RAID6+ of modules employing RAID6+ with the cells). One monolithic battery or even a small number of them would not have the same flexibility or replacebility. Also Tesla's business goals would have them buying a vast fraction of the battery production in short order. It made sense to start with the most widely manufactured 18650 cell. Now that they are building their own factory I imagine you'll see custom packs perfectly suited to their needs.
Lots of projects on Endless-Sphere are now using pouch cells. They have more kwh per unit (~20 Ahr vs 2.2-3Ahr), stack densely and employ tabs that make it easy to connect them in parallel or series.