According to reports, Panasonic Energ, the main battery supplier of Tesla vehicles, said today that the company is developing a new technology that can increase the energy density of batteries by 10% by 2030. /5.
At that time, the technology could increase the range of Tesla Model Y electric vehicles by more than 100 kilometers with the same battery pack size. Or, with the same range, automakers could design EVs that are roomier and lighter.
Currently, the battery system is the most expensive component of an electric vehicle. Therefore, improving performance and reducing costs are seen as key to sustaining global sales growth.
Shoichiro Watanabe, chief technology officer (CTO) of Panasonic Energy Corp., a core subsidiary of Panasonic, said in an interview that the new technology will use a new combination of additives that will allow individual cells to operate without compromising the performance of the battery pack. , run at a higher voltage.
Shoichiro Watanabe also said: "The competition among battery manufacturers is to come up with higher performance and more effective additives."
Currently, Panasonic's batteries for Tesla use 4.2 volts, but the new technology can increase the voltage to 4.3 or 4.4 volts. Shoichiro Watanabe said: "If the voltage can be adjusted to 4.5 volts or 4.6 volts, the whole world will fundamentally change the way electric vehicles are viewed."
The so-called "energy density" is essentially the ability of a battery to store energy in a specific volume. The 20% increase in energy density means the new technology battery will have an energy density of 900 watt-hours per liter (Wh/l), compared to the current 750 Wh/l.
Shoichiro Watanabe said that Panasonic plans to achieve this goal in the next few years, but did not say when the battery pack based on the new technology will be launched.
Shirley Meng, a professor at the University of Chicago, said: "If Panasonic can achieve the improvements described, it is entirely possible to increase the energy density by 20%. I am optimistic about this goal."
Currently, Tesla is already producing new, larger-sized 4680 cells. The 4680 battery is expected to reduce production costs and increase range compared to the current generation 2170 battery.
A Panasonic spokesman declined to comment on whether Panasonic's new battery technology will be introduced in 4680 or 2170 batteries in the future. Tesla has yet to comment on Panasonic's new technology.
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