Japan’s Panasonic, a company that supplies batteries to U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla, has completed preparations to mass-produce its next-generation battery “4680.”
According to Reuters and Bloomberg News, Panasonic said on the 9th (local time) that it has completed preparations to mass-produce 4680 batteries at its plant in western Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, and will begin production as soon as the final evaluation is completed.
The battery is lighter, more efficient and less expensive to manufacture than the previously produced “2170” cylindrical battery, the company explained.
The 4680 battery, which means 46mm in diameter and 80mm in length, is a next-generation cylindrical NCA (nickel, cobalt, aluminum) battery designed by Tesla, which can increase the driving distance of a single charge of an electric vehicle by increasing energy density and output compared to existing batteries.
Tesla manufactures the battery directly at its plants in the United States and receives and uses products produced by partners such as Panasonic.
However, due to insufficient supply of 4680 batteries, it has been difficult to mass-produce electric vehicles that have increased mileage such as Cybertruck.
Reuters predicted that Panasonic’s 4680 battery mass production technology will have a positive impact on Tesla’s Cybertruck and other production, with Panasonic’s new plant under construction in Kansas scheduled to start operating next year following the Nevada plant.
On the New York Stock Exchange, Tesla’s stock price was trading at $217.59 as of 12:30 p.m. (US Eastern Time) on the 9th, up 3.26% from the previous session.
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
