Samsung SDI plans to mass produce large cylindrical batteries

Foreign media reported that Samsung SDI President and CEO Jun Young-hyun said that the company is developing a new, larger cylindrical battery for electric vehicles. When asked by the media about the company’s progress in the development of the “4680” battery, an official of the company said: “Samsung SDI is developing a new and larger cylindrical battery that will be launched in the next two to three years. The product specifications of Samsung SDI have not yet been decided.' Samsung SDI currently mass-produces cylindrical power lithium batteries in two models, 18650 and 21700, and this time it said that it will develop larger cylindrical batteries. The industry speculates that Tesla may have The 4680 battery announced on Battery Day. It is reported that Tesla is currently producing 4680 batteries at its pilot plant in Kato Road, Fremont, and plans to increase the annual output of this battery to 10GWh by the end of 2021. At the same time, in order to ensure the stability of battery supply, Tesla will also purchase batteries from its battery suppliers, and even cooperate in mass production of 4680 batteries. At present, both LG Energy and Panasonic are speeding up the construction of their 4680 battery pilot production line, intending to take the lead in reaching cooperation with Tesla in the procurement of 4680 battery mass production, so as to further enhance its market competitiveness. Although Samsung SDI did not make it clear that the large-size cylindrical battery developed this time is the 4680 battery, its purpose is also to meet the market demand for high-performance batteries for electric vehicles, and to gain more competitive advantages in the field of power lithium batteries. Behind the head battery company's collective deployment of large cylindrical batteries, international OEMs and some high-end models have a 'soft spot' for cylindrical batteries. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has previously stated that cylindrical batteries are an important future direction for power lithium batteries. Based on this, we are studying high-power, high-density batteries. We will invest in these batteries, and when we have high-power batteries suitable for sports cars, we will launch new racing cars. To achieve this goal, Porsche plans to cooperate with battery startup CustomCells to produce specialized batteries to meet Porsche's individual needs through the joint venture Cellforce. It is worth noting that, in addition to Samsung SDI, LG Energy, and Panasonic, Chinese battery companies including CATL, BAK Battery, and Yiwei Lithium Energy are also actively developing large-cylindrical batteries. The above-mentioned battery companies may be large-cylindrical in the future. A new round of competition is launched in the battery field.