Panasonic is ready to start 4680 battery mass production for EVs

Panasonic Energy has officially announced that it has completed mass production preparations for 4680 cylindrical automotive lithium-ion batteries.

This new cell will be produced at the Wakayama factory in Western Japan, which has undergone plenty of changes to expand the production line. Prior to this announcement, the battery maker held an opening ceremony to commemorate the occasion.

4680 is the next big step in lithium-ion electric vehicles (EVs) batteries. It improves battery density by over 2170 cells and provides 5 times the energy capacity.

The new cell will improve drive range while reducing the number of cells required for the same battery pack capacity.

Panasonic says the battery pack is more efficient in the assembly process and reduces production costs for EVs.

Wakayama factory is located at 612-1 Uchita, Kinokawa City, Wakayama Prefecture. Established in 1991, the facility produces cylindrical automotive lithium-ion batteries and components for lithium-ion batteries.

Panasonic 4680 Lithium-ion battery (Source – Panasonic Energy)

The total site area is 99,177 meters square and the building area is 60,907 meters square. The facility planned to house around 400 personnel for the fiscal year ending March 2025. The staff will be involved in the production and development of next-gen batteries at the factory.

Furthermore, Panasonic has plans to enable renewable energy sources at the factory including solar power and onshore wind power to reduce CO2 emissions during production.

The company is already using such energy sources at its Moriguchi base and Kaizuka factory in Osaka. The same strategy is likely to be implemented on all 20 global bases by March 2029.

(source)