Why did Tesla phase out the mature and stable 18650 battery?

In notebooks, cameras, toys, lighting equipment and other products, 18650 batteries are already very mature and stable lithium battery specifications. Battery manufacturers have many years of relevant experience in the technology of batteries of this specification, and their battery consistency and Security has a very high level. At present, many notebook computers use the 6-cell (that is, 6-cell) lithium battery as shown in the figure above. The current Tesla MODELS and MODELX also use the same specification 18650 battery. Because the volume of the lithium battery unit is relatively small, it is Take an 85kWh battery pack as an example. The entire battery pack is composed of more than 7000 lithium battery cells. Because those PhDs of chemistry in white lab coats still have difficulty in revolutionizing battery technology, the energy density of lithium batteries cannot be greatly improved at present. For electric vehicles, this is undoubtedly a technical limitation. Fortunately, manufacturers have another way to reduce battery manufacturing costs, which is one of the key reasons why Tesla switched to 2170 batteries. In fact, CEO Musk is not bragging out of thin air, because Tesla has spent a lot of money to build a Gigafactory plant in Nevada, USA. It is estimated that by 2018, its annual processing capacity will reach 35GWh of lithium batteries, which will be the world today. Twice the yield. Take the 90D version as an example. The manufacturer’s command price is 884,300 yuan. After using the 2170 battery, even the reduction in battery cost is completely reflected in the current vehicle price. (The battery cost accounts for three One-third of it) can be purchased for almost 740,000 yuan. Therefore, for the million-level Tesla MODELS and MODELX, halving the battery cost is still difficult to bring the price of the whole car down to the range that the average family can afford. For ordinary urban consumers, perhaps the Tesla MODELS90D does not need the 500-600 km endurance. The 200km endurance can basically meet the daily travel needs, and this is probably only a 30kWh battery, and even fewer batteries. It means that the weight of the car is reduced, and the battery life can be added indirectly. Taking the manufacturer's command price of 246,900 yuan for the BAIC New Energy EV200 as an example, if the 2170 battery is replaced with a lower cost and higher energy density, the price may be reduced to less than 200,000 yuan. Therefore, the price advantage of the 2170 battery in the future Tesla MODEL3 or other relatively low-end electric vehicles may be more attractive. Is the 2170 battery a new trend in the future? It is not only Panasonic and Tesla that have changed the battery specifications. Samsung SDI launched its own 2170 battery as early as 2015 (Samsung SDI calls it 21700 battery), but at that time Samsung SDI’s new battery was only for electric bicycles. . When Panasonic and Tesla announced the mass production of 2170 batteries, it put a lot of pressure on Koreans. A week later, Samsung SDI officially announced that they would also mass produce 2170 batteries based on electric vehicles, which is conservative. The expected mass production time is about 2021. We know that there are many new electric vehicle companies in the Silicon Valley of the United States. Faced with these potential stocks, battery manufacturers are of course eyeing. For example, LG has a close cooperation with FaradayFuture, and Samsung SDI has a close relationship with Lucid. How to take the lead in the battery market in the future, the development of lower cost and higher energy density 2170 batteries may become their future direction of competition. Disclaimer: Some pictures and content of the articles published on this site are from the Internet. If there is any infringement, please contact to delete. Previous post: Analysis on the correct charging method of 18650 battery