Panasonic is ready for series production of 4680 cells

Panasonic has finalised the preparations for mass production of the large cells in Wakayama, according to its own announcement. The only intermediate step before series production is now a ‘final evaluation’, which the company intends to carry out. Originally, the Japanese company had announced that mass production of the 4680 would take place between April 2023 and March 2024. However, there has been talk of a slightly delayed schedule since May 2023. Around 400 employees are now expected to be working in Wakayama by March 2025.

Commenting on the opening of the new production facility, those responsible said today that Wakayama will serve as a demonstration centre for new products and methods and that it will “play a key role in improving product quality and competitiveness.” Panasonic intends to implement the processes trialled there in other factories worldwide. However, Panasonic does not specify when the process will also be used in the USA.

Kazuo Tadanobu, President and Executive Officer of Panasonic Energy, commented on the opening as follows: “I am excited that we are ready to start the mass production of the cutting-edge 4680 cell. This milestone is the result of years of expertise in cylindrical lithium-ion battery manufacturing. I’m confident it will significantly revolutionize the battery and EV industry. As we add the 4680 cell to our lineup, we’ll cater to a broader range of needs, further promoting the use of EVs and advancing our mission of fostering a sustainable society.”

Incidentally, Panasonic justified the delays in the commissioning of the new systems with ‘performance improvement measures’, which were intended to further increase competitiveness. The company was not more specific on this point last year. One thing is clear: Tesla also had problems meeting its production and performance targets for the 4680 cells. Tesla first presented the 4680 round cell at Battery Day in 2020. The large-volume round cells are currently installed in the US base variant of the Model Y. They are also used in the Semi electric truck and in the Cybertruck pickup model. The lack of availability of 4680 cells has long been a bottleneck in the development and production of these models.

At the end of April 2023, it was announced that Tesla was producing a second, “more manufacturable” version of the 4680 round cell in Giga Texas. It is not known whether Tesla has shared these findings with its long-standing battery partner Panasonic or whether the Japanese company has achieved these improvements itself. Meanwhile, Tesla is still working on the correct dry coating of the electrodes of its 4680 cells. According to media reports, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is therefore putting pressure on the developers – in order to meet the planned production deadline.

LG Energy Solution is another Tesla supplier of this cell format. The South Korean manufacturer announced the construction of a new production line for 4680 round cells at its Ochang plant in South Korea in mid-2022. The line is expected to have an annual production capacity of 9 GWh.

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