Korea-based Business Korea reports that an increasing number of Chinese enterprises are now entering the cylindrical battery market, which has historically been dominated by South Korean and Japanese EV battery manufacturers.
CATL, EVE, and CBAK plan to mass produce 4680 cylindrical batteries this year. EVE and CBAK are expanding their production lines in order to produce NCM batteries, whose production capacities will be five times more than those allocated to cylindrical batteries. The companies will eventually possess twice the NCM production capacity compared to the present.
As cylindrical batteries are easier to manufacture and yield superior cost-effectiveness, they enjoy a significant advantages in battery system control and design processes. In addition to the Chinese companies mentioned in the previous paragraph, Panasonic, LG Energy Solution, and Samsung SDI are also planning to manufacture this type of battery.
Although Chinese manufacturers are still currently concentrating on producing LFP batteries, as automakers and EV startups such as Tesla begin expressing an interest in 4680 batteries, the aforementioned manufacturers have begun transitioning to cylindrical batteries.
Panasonic remains the fastest developer at the moment, as its developmental progress is nearing completion. The company expects to commence production in Japan later this year, whereas LG and Samsung SDI are following closely behind, with EV startup Lucid Motors also considering adopting cylindrical batteries.
(Image: CATL)