Tesla 4680 battery in big trouble, Nobel laureate cries foul

Of course, at the time this new battery cell looks very good, but in fact, some of the technology inside is still in the research stage, such as silicon-based negative electrode is still an industry problem. So the technology announced by Tesla this time, there is still a distance from mass production.

And in this battery day, Musk also focused on the production of dry electrode technology.

Production needs to be wet processing of the electrode first, and then introduce it to the dry electrode technology, the specific process is to press the powdered material into a film, and then dry electrode coating, the process of this process is also more complex, at that time Tesla has not yet achieved mass production. But the benefit is that with this technology, the battery production operation is 10 times less difficult.

Musk also talked about the assembly of the 4680 cells at the time, saying that just like the structural fuel tank of an airplane is located in the wing, Tesla's cells will also fit directly into the chassis and become part of the vehicle chassis (i.e. CTC technology).

This technology starts with an advanced one-piece stamping technology to make the body, and then the electric cell will be installed into the middle of the vehicle. Tesla said this assembly process can save 370 body parts and reduce body weight by 10% while keeping the same capacity, while also bringing the battery closer to the center of the body to better balance the body and improve stability.

Musk also tweeted a few days ago that the new generation of cells is not expected to be ready for production until 2022, and that the cells will be used primarily in Semi trucks, Mars pickups and the new generation of Roadsters. At the time, he did not reveal that the new cells would be used in the Model Y. Perhaps he was worried about the capacity of the new cells at the time.

Battery companies are following, but domestic players are one step ahead

It is understood that battery suppliers such as Panasonic, LG and Samsung are gradually rolling out their 4680 battery production lines, and domestic battery manufacturers are also laying out in advance in the track, lest they be left behind.

In February this year, according to CleanTechnica, Panasonic is refurbishing its factory equipment and will produce 4680 batteries on a trial basis. Panasonic also said at the time that if the 4680 battery could be delivered, it would be the first to supply Tesla. However, it may not be until next year that Panasonic will be able to produce the 4680 battery, and the relevant production line is currently under construction.

In June, LG also announced that it will invest 580 billion won (about 3.8 billion yuan) to build a 4680 battery production line, but the production time will be next year.

When the foreign media's attention is focused on overseas battery giants, they tend to ignore the fact that Chinese companies have already come up with 4680 batteries in kind.

On March 19, 2021, the China International Battery Technology Fair (CIBF 2021) opened in Shenzhen, and BAK Battery brought a variety of battery specifications to the show, including the 4680 battery.

In an interview, Dan Li, Vice President of BAK Battery, revealed that the 4 series (46mm diameter cells) are mainly customized products, and customers can work with BAK Battery to develop and set the specific parameters of the batteries, while the non-customized mass production version will be available around the end of 2022.

At Auto Shanghai 2021, Yeastar also brought its own 4680 battery to the booth.