As Tesla prepares to begin deploying its 4680 battery cells in the next couple of years, the company is already lining up suppliers – and is reportedly talking to a number of companies to supply the cells for its Gigafactory Shanghai.
Tesla is looking for suppliers in China to help produce its 4680 cylindrical battery, alongside the likes of its other suppliers CATL and LG Chem, according to an industry source, reports 36kr.com (via CNEVPost).
China-based company Eve Energy is among the manufacturers in discussion with Tesla, as shared by the source on Tuesday.
The new, cylindrical battery size refers to the size of the battery as it is 46 mm by 80 mm in size. Unveiled at last year’s Battery Day Event, the battery is still in development, though Tesla is reportedly nearing completion of the validation in California needed to deploy the 4680 batteries.
In addition, fellow Tesla suppliers Samsung and LG completed samples for the 4680 battery in July.
Tesla Battery Supplier CATL to Raise $9 Billion to Expand Production https://t.co/Za8YSgfpld
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) August 13, 2021
In the report, the source said, “CATL’s large cylindrical battery is picking up the pace with a project called ‘Jingu Bang’.”
Jingu Bang comes from the 16th-century novel Journey to the West and refers to a magical staff held by the immortal monkey Sun Wukong.
BAK Power, an electronics supplier that has traditionally stuck to cylindrical cells, is also reportedly working on 4680 cell samples according to Chief Scientist Lin Jian. The samples are expected to hit production lines as soon as next year.
