In August of this year
Tesla will soon have a partner producing 4680 battery cells. According to LG Energy Solutions President and CEO Kim Dong-myung, the company plans to begin production as early as August.
LG Energy Solutions will first begin production of 4680 battery cells at its Ochan plant in North Chungcheong Province in South Korea. The company also plans to mass produce the cells in the US at its Arizona plant, which is currently under construction, with that facility not expected to be completed until 2025.
The South Korean company initially announced a $1.3 billion investment plan for the Arizona plant in June 2021, but suspended the project due to economic uncertainty and only resumed construction in March 2023.
LG Energy Solutions has been working on its plans to produce 4680 cells since Tesla first announced the new cylindrical cells at Battery Day 2020. Almost a year after this announcement, LG Energy Solutions has already launched a pilot production line where the company is producing samples of 4680 cells to ensure they meet Tesla's requirements. The company initially hoped to begin mass production of 4680 cells in 2023.
Panasonic has also been working on mass production of batteries for several years and may surpass LG Energy Solutions. Last year, Panasonic said it planned to begin production between April and September 2024. Samsung in turn is building a production line with an initial capacity of 1 GW·h per year.