Electric vehicle batteries are a key component, accounting for about 30% of the cost of electric vehicle manufacturing. It is no exaggeration to say that the competition in the future electric vehicle market will be a battery war, and battery performance determines the mileage.
Nikkei Shimbun reported on the 25th that Japan's Panasonic will start mass production of new lithium-ion batteries from next year, which can increase the driving range of electric vehicles by 16-20%. Panasonic's new battery will be supplied to Tesla first.
The new battery provided by Panasonic is 4680 (diameter 46mm, height 80mm). Compared to the existing 18650 and 2170 batteries, it is characterized by a larger and thicker volume.
The energy density of the 4680 battery is 5 times that of conventional batteries, and the output capacity is 6 times that of conventional batteries. If this battery is installed in a battery pack of the same size, the mileage can be increased by about 16-20%. In addition, production costs are expected to be reduced by up to 20% due to the increased size, which allows fewer batteries to be loaded.
With the new 4680 battery installed, the Tesla Model S's range of approximately 650 kilometers on a single charge is expected to increase to 750 kilometers.
Panasonic plans to invest 80 billion yen to expand its battery plant in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The average annual production capacity is expected to be 10GW, which is equivalent to 150,000 electric vehicles.
Panasonic plans to start partial production within this year to ensure safety and efficiency, and then start mass production next year. In the future, it is also considering plans to produce in overseas countries such as the United States. In the future, Panasonic is also considering how to extend the supply chain to automakers beyond Tesla.
At the same time, as we all know, Samsung SDI and LG Energy Solutions also have the ability to develop and mass-produce 4680 batteries for Tesla. However, it is unclear whether Panasonic has been selected as the new 4680 battery supplier.
In fact, the competition of various car manufacturers on batteries has quietly unfolded, and it is not only Tesla that is developing new batteries. BYD has also developed blade batteries, GAC Aean has developed magazine batteries, and Toyota has spent a lot of money on solid-state batteries. Not to mention battery suppliers like Ningde Times, there are more development and innovations in batteries.
But no matter how the battery technology of various manufacturers is developed, in fact, the direction is the same, that is, four aspects: lower cost, higher endurance, faster charging, more safe and environmentally friendly. At present, no company has been able to achieve overwhelming victories in these four aspects at the same time. However, with the development of the new energy era, these four aspects are being broken down one by one.
Through greater capacity, scale achieves lower costs. Increase the range by increasing the energy density. Increase charging speed with 800V charging system. By reducing the use of lithium and cobalt, the battery is more environmentally friendly. Therefore, in the field of batteries in the future, technology is still advancing, and there are more possibilities.