The main issues with electric vehicles (EVs) are still limited travel distances, very heavy battery packs and slow charging times. Panasonic has announced they are now ready to start production of the new 4680 battery next year which promises a 500% higher areal density than the 2170 battery used so far.
Although the 4680 is slightly larger than the 2170, it will still open the way for the production of lighter EV battery packs, higher power output, faster charging and more importantly lower EV prices in the future. It however still uses Li-Ion technology and not of the higher density solid-state type.
The Panasonic 4680 battery has already been confirmed to be used by Tesla, Lucid, Toyota and Ford. Production will take place at the Panasonic factory located in Wakayama, Japan.