Panasonic develops new battery for electric cars, which promises cost-effectiveness and Tesla-standard autonomy

Panasonic is developing a new battery for electric cars called the 4680, which promises to be more cost-effective and Tesla-standard battery life.

Panasonic presented a design of its new lithium-ion battery for electric cars. The cylindrical battery is a new type of battery that the company has been developing since Tesla announced the new standard in September 2020. The prototype was named 4680 (46 mm in diameter and 80 mm in height).

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Tesla is also working on developing its own batteries for electric cars.

With improved details of the “original” 4680 and lower production costs, Panasonic would like to enter a new phase of its battery business for electric cars, and has already shown interest in investing in the project.

Panasonic has reportedly not revealed the formula for the battery, nor when and where series production for the new Tesla standard batteries will take place. Tesla is also working hard on its battery technology internally and has recently stated that it is currently manufacturing a significant number of batteries for testing purposes, which is obviously a stage beyond electric car battery prototypes.

As far as is known, at least some other manufacturers are also focusing on the 4680 model, hoping to receive a bulk order from Tesla in the future. However, Panasonic's project may be ahead of rivals, at least for now.

Panasonic will not manufacture lithium iron batteries

According to Kazuo Tadanobu, executive responsible for the Japanese battery area, the company developed this due to the strong desire of the other party, and also because it agrees that this type of technology can lead to even stronger partnerships.

By way of explanation, Panasonic has said it will not manufacture lithium-iron batteries, which is often seen as a more affordable, more cost-effective, lower-range electric car or energy storage system.

Kazuo claims that Panasonic did not plan to make Lithium-Iron Phosphate electric car batteries for the more affordable models. Tesla uses the LFP standard; the company transitioned its entire range of standard vehicles to LFP and according to data from The Verge, even Apple is looking for a supplier of lithium-iron batteries for its electric cars.

Volkswagen and CBMM advance in the production of the first vehicle powered by niobium batteries

Last month, Volkswagen closed an agreement with CBMM to advance in the production of the first vehicle powered by niobium batteries. The agreement foresees that CBMM will offer the products to the automaker so that they can be manufactured together with the models at the factory in Resende.

With the tests, the projection is that the niobium battery will be completely ready to be sold in 2023. Ford and BMW, which have a joint venture, are investing in solid state batteries, with the first production scheduled for the beginning of next year.

This type of battery is gaining fame and is seen as the future for hybrid and electric cars, and could be a possible replacement for lithium-ion batteries.