Three major domestic battery companies account for more than 70% of the battery production plants for electric vehicles in the US. Japanese companies have started expanding their production plants as the only competitor in the US. Due to worsening relations between US and China, Chinese companies have not entered the US market; hence Korea and Japan are expected to compete in the US battery market.
According to NHK on the 7th, Panasonic started purchasing land in Oklahoma and Kansas to build a mass-production factory for Tesla’s ‘4680 battery’. The size of Panasonic’s investment is billions of dollars. Although specific investment size, such as production facilities, has not been disclosed, the industry estimates that it will be built with a maximum annual capacity of 100 GWh.
Panasonic is the main battery supplier to Tesla, and has already developed the large-sized cylindrical battery ‘4680 battery’, which is currently in the development of mass production technology.
Toyota confirmed the site of its US battery plant in North Carolina earlier this year. It is investing $1.29 billion (KRW 1.52 trillion) in Randolph County, North Carolina, to build its first battery plant, which will begin its operation in 2025.
Toyota will establish a total of four production lines, and secure an annual production capacity of 800,000 batteries for electric vehicles. It will also add at least two production lines in the future to produce 1.2 million batteries per year.
The industry estimates that battery factories for electric vehicles in the US will be 400 to 500 GW by 2026.Three major Korean battery companies currently account for more than 300 GWh with coordination with joint ventures or independently. In contrast, the battery plant that will be built by Japanese battery manufacturers by 2025 is expected to produce battery capacity of 200GWh.
By Staff Reporter Taejoon Park (gaius@etnews.com)