LG Energy Solution (LGES) CEO Kim Dong-myeong announced that the company will start Tesla 4680 battery production as early as August.
“We will do it soon. I think it will be that much, but [the timing] will come and go for a month or two,” CEO Kim told reporters at the event for the Korea Battery Industry Association’s Board of Directors.
LGES plans to start 4680 mass production at its Ochang factory in North Chungcheong Province. The South Korean battery company will also begin producing Tesla’s 4680 battery in North America once its new Arizona factory is constructed.
LGES will be supplying Tesla with 4680 battery cells. CEO Kim added that LG Energy Solution is in talks with other customers, besides Tesla, about 4680 batty supply. LGES is thinking of mass-producing the 4680 battery in China at its Nanjing factory.
While LGES prepares to start 4680 production, Tesla is steadily improving its own 4680 production lines. In October 2023, Tesla announced that it built its 20 millionth 4680 battery cell at Gigafactory Texas. During the Q4 and Full Year 2023 earnings call, Elon Musk and another Tesla executive shared that 2024 would be a big year for ramping 4680 production.
“But we also do want to emphasize that we also expect to ramp orders from our suppliers,” added Elon Musk. “So, this is not about replacing our suppliers. It’s about supplementing our suppliers.”
If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via X @Writer_01001101.
