Domestic battery makers are moving to resume mass production of cylindrical batteries, which were mainly used in notebook computers and power tools in the past. That is because cylindrical batteries are increasingly likely to become the standard for the Humanoid Robot that Tesla and Hyundai Motor have recently joined in building.
According to the battery industry on the 2nd, Tesla has adopted cylindrical batteries for Optimus, a Humanoid Robot it is currently developing. Atlas, a Humanoid Robot developed by Hyundai Motor's robotics affiliate Boston Dynamics, is also reportedly considering adopting cylindrical batteries.
A cylindrical battery is a battery shaped like an AA battery commonly seen around us. It is the battery format humans have mass-produced for the longest time, so the process is standardized and design and supply are easy.
The Humanoid Robot market still has smaller battery demand than electric vehicles and ESS, making mass production difficult. For this reason, cylindrical batteries with standardized designs are cited as the optimal choice to reduce the design burden on battery companies.
A battery industry official said, "Pouch-type batteries are mainly mass-produced to customer specifications, but cylindrical batteries have standardized criteria and the process is simpler than pouch-type."
Cylindrical is considered a battery optimized for Humanoid Robot. Because it belongs to the ternary battery category that combines nickel, cobalt and manganese or nickel, cobalt and aluminum in the cathode, it has high energy density and can be used longer for the same weight and volume.
It also has the advantage of a lower fire risk than pouch-type or prismatic ternary batteries. It is finished with a metal can that can block external shocks that may cause fires, and its cylindrical shape leaves space between cells that also serves as a cooling channel.
Battery manufacturers have developed the next-generation cylindrical 4680 battery (46 mm in diameter, 80 mm in height), solving the energy density problem that was a drawback of the existing 2170 battery. The 4680 has five times the energy capacity and six times the output of previous cells. It is also considered suitable for Humanoid Robot, which needs momentary high output when lifting heavy objects, for this reason.
Among domestic battery companies producing cylindrical batteries, LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI plan to expand production of the 4680 battery.
LG Energy Solution plans to mass-produce the 4680 battery within this year at its Queen Creek, Arizona, plant in the United States. It is currently producing small quantities of the 4680 at its Ochang plant in North Chungcheong.
Samsung SDI is producing cylindrical batteries in Cheonan and Malaysia, and since March last year it has begun mass production of the 4695 battery (46 mm in diameter, 95 mm in height) used in electric motorcycles. It plans to begin mass production of 46-pi automotive batteries (46 mm in diameter, height to be determined) starting in 2028.