According to a recent report by the Nikkei, Panasonic Panasonic will mass-produce a new type of lithium-ion battery pack named "4680" in 2023 as soon as possible, and the first batch will be delivered to Tesla for use. According to the report, the "4680" will increase the endurance by up to 20% compared with the current model under the comparison of the same unit weight, becoming the lithium battery pack with the highest endurance at present. If this battery is installed on the Model S, its maximum endurance is expected to reach the level of 750 kilometers.
The "4680" was born mainly due to Panasonic's improvement in raw materials and processes, which solved the problem of energy density decline with the enlargement of the battery pack; in addition, Panasonic also increased the capacity by enlarging the battery diameter by 2 times, so that the capacity was increased by 5 times, and the production cost per unit capacity was only 80% to 90% in the past.
In addition, in order to cope with the production capacity demand of Tesla in the United States, Panasonic has also invested 80 billion yen to expand its factory in Wakayama City, Japan, and its annual production capacity is expected to reach 10 GWh, which is equivalent to about 20% of the current Panasonic's total production capacity, and it is estimated that it will be able to provide about 150,000 electric vehicles.
If Tesla finally decides to introduce the "4680" into the Model S, its endurance is expected to increase from the current 652 kilometers to 750 kilometers, which can be compared with mercedes-EQ's EQS pure electric luxury car series published in 2021. However, these figures are still theoretical values, and the actual performance is still to be released after the mass production of the original plant next year.