Tesla 4680 battery progress: 50 million units produced in three months

On September 15, 2024, Tesla announced that its 100 millionth 4680 battery officially rolled off the production line, once again attracting widespread attention in the electric vehicle industry.

It is particularly worth mentioning that it took only three months from the production of the 50 millionth battery to the 100 millionth battery. Tesla has made great progress in the large-scale production and manufacturing process optimization of 4680 batteries.

In fact, with the technological advances of Panasonic and LGES in the 4680 battery field in the second half of 2024, the progress of 4680 batteries is very good.

Part 1

The situation of Tesla's 4680 battery

Tesla CEO Elon Musk congratulated his battery team on their achievements. In addition to achieving large-scale production of 4680 batteries at the Texas Gigafactory, Tesla is also expanding its factory in Nevada and plans to increase the annual production capacity of 4680 batteries to 100GWh, further consolidating its leading position in the electric vehicle battery field.

The current production situation is equivalent to 74,400 vehicles, and the corresponding production efficiency covers 134,500 vehicles. The output is 9GWh, and the annualized battery capacity is 16.3GWh for 4680 batteries.

The 4680 battery is a technology route pioneered by Tesla. It combines full-ear design with dry electrode technology, thus achieving comprehensive improvements in battery performance, manufacturing costs, and production efficiency.

Tesla has effectively reduced the weight of the battery pack and lowered costs by reducing the number of battery cells and simplifying welding and connection components. The improvements not only make the vehicle lighter, but also lay a solid foundation for improving the performance of the entire vehicle.

In terms of battery structure, the 4680 battery's tab-free design and advanced laser welding process increase the complexity of production and place higher demands on the precision and efficiency of production equipment.

There are still technical difficulties in the production process, but due to the advantages of efficient production, high performance and low cost brought about by structural innovation and material improvement, large cylindrical batteries are a new route.

During the technological upgrade of Tesla's 4680 battery, it has continuously increased the nickel content in the positive electrode material, gradually evolving from the initial 5 series to the 8 series, and reaching the latest 9 series formula.

The newly released second-generation 4680 battery uses the 9-series high-nickel formula of NCM955, and its energy density is expected to reach 252Wh/kg. This improves the energy density of the battery, enhances the battery's endurance, and brings safety challenges (increased nickel content reduces battery stability).

The internal resistance of the second-generation 4680 battery has dropped from 3.0 milliohms in the first generation to about 2.3 milliohms, and the fast charging capability is expected to be significantly enhanced.

Tesla is exploring the introduction of nano-silicon particles into dry negative electrode materials and improving the overall performance of the battery by further thinning the thickness of the positive and negative electrodes.

In terms of positive electrode materials, with the increase in nickel content, Tesla is expected to further improve the energy density of the battery while maintaining a low production cost, which will enable the 4680 battery to play a greater role in future electric vehicles.

Part 2

In the global competitive landscape

4680 battery camp

With the acceleration of mass production of 4680 batteries, Tesla's large cylindrical battery technology route has gradually formed a powerful industrial chain.

Panasonic, LGES and other global leading battery manufacturers have announced that they will begin mass production of 4680 batteries.

● Panasonic's factory in Wakayama, Japan will become the world's main production base for 4680 batteries, and plans to achieve mass production by 2025. The factory in Wakayama, Japan has completed preparations for mass production of 4680 batteries and is expected to promote this production model globally.

● LG Energy Solution plans to start mass production of 4680 batteries at its Ojeong plant in South Korea in late 2024 or early 2025, and is expected to become one of Tesla's suppliers.

The initial annual production capacity is 8GWh, enough to provide batteries for 110,000 electric vehicles. LG has completed the preparations for the production line and is actively negotiating with customers to advance mass production plans.

Of course, 2025 is the time point for mass production of BMW's new generation of electric vehicles, and the application scale of the 46 series batteries will be further expanded by then.

summary

We will continue to track the successful mass production of Tesla's 4680 batteries and its continuously optimized technical path.