According to TheElec, LG Energy Solutions recently canceled the development of prismatic batteries.
Earlier this year, LG Energy Solutions began reviewing whether the product was feasible, but recently concluded that it was not commercially viable, according to the report. The square battery is said to be an alternative version of the cylindrical battery by placing the material in a metal can. Samsung SDI, Ningde Times and BYD all make this type of battery, and Northvolt Toshiba, Morrow Batteries, Verkor, Britishvolt and Automotive Cell Company also produce square batteries.
LG Energy Solutions, which currently focuses on producing soft pack batteries (pouch batteries), also makes cylindrical batteries, but most of its batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems are soft pack batteries. The reason the company is developing square batteries is to increase the diversity of its product portfolio and also to absorb the advantages of the technology.
The company’s final conclusion was that there was no advantage in sourcing components and equipment to make square cells more convenient than other types, the sources said. LG Energy Solutions is now focused on expanding its capacity, so expanding capacity for one cell type is more important than the technology.
Soft pack batteries use pouches of the film rather than metal cans to hold the battery material, which makes it easier for manufacturers to increase the energy density of the cells, but they also need to remove the gases that form inside during the production process.
LG Energy Solutions is focusing on making its manufacturing process more advanced by using new methods for stacking battery materials, such as advanced Z-stacking, which prevents separators from falling out by adding more laminate rolls to the production process.
