IT Home July 18th news, Youtuber @The Limiting Factor brings you the disassembly and analysis of the latest 4680 battery of Tesla , and gives some unique design specifications for this battery.
IT Home learned that the Model Y produced in the Texas factory is currently the most advanced product under Tesla. It uses three cutting-edge technologies: CTC technology (technology that directly installs the battery cell to the chassis), 4680 battery and integrated die casting, which can significantly reduce the difficulty and cost of production and assembly of vehicles and improve performance.
According to reports, the cathode of Tesla 4680 battery uses NCM811 material, while the anode is graphite .
Video shows that Tesla's in-house 4680 battery (about 6 months ago) is equipped with NCM 811 cathode chemicals, with a nickel content of 81.6% while cobalt and manganese content is not disclosed, but there does not appear to be aluminum (so there is no NCA or NCMA).
The Limiting Factor points out that the new dry battery electrode technology has not been used for cathodes, but it is currently used for anodes, and it is expected that it will be applicable or not in both cases.
analysis found that there is no silicon in the anode material of the 4680 battery, and the anode active material is graphite. It is reported that battery manufacturers usually add 10-15% silicon to the most advanced lithium-ion battery anode to increase energy density. At this point, foreign media believe that this early 4680 battery may be different from the current chemical electrode technology Tesla uses.
Despite this, data analysis shows that this battery has very good characteristics, such as energy density up to 272-296Wh/kg.
The Tesla 4680 battery weighs 355 grams and has an estimated total capacity of 26.136 Ah, while the total energy is estimated at 96-99 Wh (assuming 3.7-3.8 V), which is consistent with the rumor of 98 Wh.
Foreign media pointed out that the energy density of 4680 batteries is approximately in the range of 272-296 Wh/kg, which is very good among the batteries on the market and basically belongs to the first echelon.
is used as a reference. The integration of CATL CTP3.0 Kirin batteries, mass-produced next year, hits a global high, with a volume utilization rate exceeding 72%, and an energy density of 255Wh/kg. It claims to easily achieve a range of 1,000 kilometers of the entire vehicle. Of course, the advantage of CATL is the world's first large-face cooling technology for battery cells. Kirin batteries can support 5 minutes of fast hot start and 10 minutes of fast charging.
A brief summary:
4680 cylindrical lithium-ion battery (diameter 46mm, height 80mm, weight 355g)
Cathode: NCM 811 (81.6% nickel)
Anode: Graphite (no silicon), dry battery electrode technology
tables design
estimated total capacity: 26.136 Ah
estimated total energy: 96-99 Wh (assuming it is 3.7-3.8 V)
Estimated energy density: 272-296 Wh/kg
Troy Teslike pointed out that there are rumors that Tesla's first generation battery is 98 Wh. Models with higher energy density will be launched in the next few years: 108 Wh (10% increase) in 2023 and 118 Wh (9.3% increase) in 2024.
It is said that the 4680 battery has stored more than 5 times more energy than the smaller 2170 battery. Considering the rumored total energy content, the energy density is:
First generation: 276 Wh/kg
Second generation: 305 Wh/kg
Third generation: 333 Wh/kg
However, it was also pointed out that the 4680 battery may have two battery pack configurations:
Standard type: 690 batteries (69 x 10) and 67.620 kWh (98 Wh/battery)
Long battery life: 828 batteries (69 x 12) and 81.144 kWh (98 Wh / Battery)
Of course, the 4680 Model Y is not listed as a long-range version in the EPA file, but is only listed as AWD, and its range is not much better than the one with the 2170 battery (279 miles vs. 330 miles).
In addition to this, the steel shell (battery skin) of the new battery is much thicker than the 2170 battery. Foreign media believe that the reason behind this is likely that the new battery pack structure needs stronger bearing capacity. Therefore, it makes the 4680 model battery heavier.According to the video, the weight loss in this section is estimated to be 10-15%.
2170 Model: 125-250 Micron
4680 Model: 500-600 Micron
But as we saw above, despite this, the energy density of the two is comparable:
2170 Model: 263-276 Wh/kg
4680 Model: 272-296 Wh/kg
Although currently 4680 The potential of the battery has not been tapped yet, but since it has a structural battery design, it means that Tesla will be able to further reduce weight at the automotive structural level, making the energy density significantly higher at the automotive level. At least, that's what Musk said in 2018.
Video shows that the new battery may have such a competitive energy density due to the thickness of the electrode (more active material) (although the can is heavy and there is no silicon anode).
In the case of a new battery, the cathode thickness seems to be 20-25% higher:
2170 Model (usual): 60-70 microns (0.06-0.07 mm)
4680 Model: 85 microns (0.085 mm)
