Samsung SDI and LG Energy complete R&D of 4680 batteries, focusing on Tesla orders

It is reported that Samsung SDI and LG Energy have developed samples of cylindrical 4680 batteries, which are currently undergoing various tests at the factory to verify their structural integrity. In addition, the two companies also provided sellers with details of the specifications of the 4680 battery.

According to foreign media reports, Samsung SDI and LG Energy Solutions have completed the development of “4680″ battery cell samples. “4680″ is Tesla’s first battery cell launched last year, and the two Korean battery companies’ move was obviously to win Tesla’s order.

An industry executive who understands the matter revealed to The Korea Herald, “Samsung SDI and LG Energy have developed samples of cylindrical 4680 batteries and are currently conducting various tests at the factory to verify their structure. Completeness. In addition, the two companies also provided sellers with the specifications of the 4680 battery.”

In fact, Samsung SDI’s research and development of the 4680 battery is not without trace. The company’s president and CEO Jun Young hyun revealed to the media at the annual shareholder meeting held in March this year that Samsung is developing a new cylindrical battery larger than the existing 2170 battery, but declined to confirm its specific specifications. . In April of this year, the company and Hyundai Motor were exposed to jointly develop the next generation of cylindrical batteries, the specifications of which are larger than 2170 batteries but smaller than 4680 batteries. This is a battery designed specifically for modern hybrid vehicles in the future.

Industry insiders pointed out that considering that Tesla does not produce cylindrical batteries, Samsung SDI has room to join Tesla’s battery suppliers. The latter’s existing battery suppliers include LG Energy, Panasonic and CATL.

Samsung SDI is currently planning to expand in the United States and set up its first battery factory in the country. If you can get Tesla’s 4680 battery order, it will definitely add momentum to this expansion plan.

Tesla launched the 4680 battery for the first time at its Battery Day event last September, and plans to deploy it on the Tesla Model Y produced in Texas starting in 2023. 41680 These numbers represent the size of the battery cell, namely: 46 mm in diameter and 80 mm in height. Larger cells are cheaper and more efficient, allowing for smaller or longer range battery packs. This battery cell has a higher capacity density but a lower cost, and is suitable for battery packs of various specifications.

At the same time, LG Energy also hinted at a conference call in October last year that it would develop a 4680 battery, but has since denied that it has completed prototype development.

In February this year, Meritz Securities, a local brokerage firm, stated in a report that LG Energy would “complete the world’s first mass production of 4680 batteries and begin supplying them.” Then in March, Reuters reported that the company “plans for 2023. It produces 4680 batteries and is considering establishing a potential production base in the United States or Europe.”

In the same month, LG Energy announced that the company plans to invest more than 5 trillion won to build at least two new battery factories in the United States by 2025 for the production of pouch and “cylindrical” batteries and batteries for energy storage systems.

LG Energy currently supplies 2170 batteries for Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles made in China. The company has not yet obtained a formal agreement to produce 4680 batteries for Tesla, so it is not clear whether the company will play a greater role in the battery supply chain outside of Tesla China.

Tesla announced plans to put 4680 batteries into production at the Battery Day event in September last year. The industry is worried that the company’s plans to produce batteries on its own will cut off ties with existing battery suppliers such as LG Energy, CATL and Panasonic. In this regard, Tesla CEO Elon Musk explained that although its suppliers remain the largest Production capacity is running, but a serious shortage of batteries is expected, so the company made the above decision.

On the other hand, although Tesla has not officially placed an order for the production of 4680 batteries to its battery suppliers, Panasonic, Tesla’s longest-time battery partner, is preparing to produce 4680 batteries. Just last month, the company’s new CEO, Yuki Kusumi, said that if the current prototype production line is successful, the company will “invest heavily” in the production of Tesla 4680 batteries.

The company is currently assembling a 4680 battery prototype production line. The CEO did not elaborate on the scale of the potential investment, but the deployment of battery production capacity like 12Gwh usually requires billions of dollars.