Panasonic Energ, Tesla’s main battery supplier, reportedly said today that it is developing a new technology that could increase battery energy density by 1/5 by 2030, which could then increase the range of the Tesla Model Y electric car by more than 100 kilometers with the same battery pack size. Or, with the same range, automakers could design more spacious, lighter electric cars.
Currently, battery systems are the most expensive component of electric vehicles. Therefore, improving performance and reducing costs are seen as key to sustaining global sales growth.
In an interview, Shoichiro Watanabe, chief technology officer (CTO) of Panasonic Energy, a core subsidiary of Panasonic, said the new technology will use a new combination of additives that will allow individual batteries to operate at higher voltages without compromising pack performance.
Shoichiro Watanabe added: “The competition among battery manufacturers is to introduce higher performance and more effective additives.”
Currently, Panasonic’s batteries for Tesla use a voltage of 4.2 volts, while the new technology can increase the voltage to 4.3 or 4.4 volts. Shoichiro Watanabe said, “If you can get the voltage to 4.5 or 4.6 volts, then the whole world’s perception of electric cars will change radically. “
The so-called “energy density” is essentially the ability of the battery to store energy in a given volume. A 20 percent increase in energy density means that the new technology’s batteries will have an energy density of 900 watt-hours per liter (Wh/l), compared to the current 750 Wh/l.
Shoichiro Watanabe said Panasonic plans to achieve this goal in the next few years but did not say when it will launch battery packs based on the new technology.
Shirley Meng, a professor at the University of Chicago, said in response: “If Panasonic can achieve the improvements described, it is entirely possible to increase energy density by 20 percent. I’m optimistic about that goal.”
Currently, Tesla is already producing a new, larger size 4680 battery. Compared to the current generation of 2170 cells, the 4680 cells are expected to reduce production costs and increase range.
A Panasonic spokesman declined to comment on whether Panasonic’s new battery technology will be introduced into the 4680 or 2170 batteries in the future. Tesla has not yet commented on Panasonic’s new technology.
