LG’s EV battery system on display at Interbattery 2024
With stagnating electric vehicle sales or an EV chasm set to prolong, battery makers are increasingly turning their sights toward a next-generation cylindrical battery with a 4680 form factor.
The so-called 4680 battery, which measures 46 millimeters in diameter and 80 mm in length, is a game-changer in the battery industry, according to analysts and industry officials.
It is known to increase energy density by five times and output by six times compared to the conventional 2170 type and boost electric vehicles’ mileage by at least 20%.
While pouch and prismatic form factors are the most common battery types for many EV makers, some automakers, including BMW, GM and Stellantis, are gradually adopting the 4680 cylindrical type given its strengths.
The difference between the 2170 cell and the newer 4680 cell
One, probably the biggest, problem is the technological challenge to mass production.
Almost all major battery makers including the Korean trio – LG Energy Solution Ltd., SK On Co. and Samsung SDI Co. – are working to produce in large quantities but no company has yet come out to claim they did it.
LG EXPECTS MASS PRODUCTION IN DECEMBER
“If mass production becomes a reality, it will be a game-changer,” said an official at LG Energy, the world’s third-largest battery maker after China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) and BYD Co.
“The 4680 battery is a weapon with which you can change the market dynamics,” he said.
Earlier this year, LG Energy Chief Executive Kim Dong-myung said the company aims to begin mass production of larger format cylindrical cells used by Tesla Inc. as early as August.
SK On’s prismatic EV battery
Company executives now say that they expect to manufacture 4880 batteries in large quantities from December – four months later than scheduled.
If successful, LG would be the world’s first to do so.
LG said it would supply the new type to Tesla and other clients.
The stakes are high because Tesla, the world’s No. 2 EV maker after China’s BYD, is reportedly struggling to develop 4680 batteries in-house for use in its electric cars due to technological difficulties, including low product yields.
SUPERCELL
The 4680 battery is often called a supercell given the higher efficiency, improved safety and lower costs relative to conventional batteries currently available.
Samsung SDI’s cylindrical batteries
The 4680 battery type weighs only 70-80% of comparable pouch or prismatic batteries while maintaining the same energy density, meaning a longer driving range.
It doesn’t require separate modules, allowing for a simpler battery management system (BMS), thus safer.
However, industry officials said it is challenging to make 4680 batteries in a cylindrical type with key components such as the cathode, anode, electrolyte and separator inside.
It may take at least a decade for EVs to fully use the 4680 battery on a commercial basis, analysts said.
HEATED RACE
With solid-state batteries still far from being a reality, battery makers are racing against each other to develop 4680 batteries.
Samsung SDI plans to begin mass production of the 4680 type next year, moving up its schedule from originally planned 2026.
Samsung SDI’s prismatic EV battery system
Samsung currently produces cylindrical batteries of the 2170 and 1865 types for smartphones and other smaller electronic devices.
SK On, a unit of Korea’s top energy firm SK Innovation Co., is operating a task force to develop its own 4680 batteries under the direct leadership of its chief executive.
Japan’s Panasonic Holdings Corp., which previously said it would begin producing 4680 batteries this year, is now looking at 2025 as its target year for mass production.
China’s CATL, known for low-cost LPF batteries, is also working on the 4680 type but it may take longer years than its competitors to develop one due to technological challenges, industry officials said.
“If a Korean battery maker succeeds in developing the next-generation battery first, the company will have a great advantage in attracting automakers such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which largely use Chinese prismatic batteries,” said an industry executive.
By Sang-Hoon Sung
uphoon@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.
