Panasonic Unveils a Battery Prototype For Tesla With 5 Times More Energy Storage
Tesla is consistently driving innovation in the electric vehicle (EV) market and has pledged to make significant changes and advances in future batteries. Now, with the support of the Japanese tech giant, the new battery will have five times more storage and will help Tesla reduce its production cost.
Furthermore, Panasonic has stated that its latest project, the development of Tesla’s 4680, will be manufactured explicitly for Tesla vehicles. This further strengthens the ties between both companies. Kazuo Tadanobu, head of Panasonic’s energy business, unveiled the battery prototype at a recent media roundtable citing a “strong desire of the other party” as to why Panasonic was developing the product.
No specific details have been released regarding when the 4680 batteries would be put into full-scale production, but the company plans to start “test production” early next year. Panasonic’s development follows in the footsteps of Tesla’s own plans to develop a 4680 battery: a battery that has dimensions of 46mm x 80mm.
Energy Solutions
Across the EV industry, vehicle manufacturers are consistently trying to improve batteries by increasing driving range and recharge speeds. When making improvements to battery cells, EV manufacturers may run into other issues such as increased battery size, leading to space-saving challenges and potential thermal management issues.
The new 4680 battery should offer more energy and therefore boost battery performance. Additionally, these batteries will be cheaper to produce by 50% compared to other models and should boost Panasonic’s production by 100-fold over the next decade.
