Northvolt Develops Cylindrical Battery of Type 2170
Northvolt is prepared to mass-produce a cylindrical battery with a diameter of 21 mm and a height of 70 mm. Korea's LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI are also focused on cylindrical-type batteries, which is expected to heighten the competition.
Northvolt introduced its new 2170 battery via its website and the newly published 2021 Sustainable Management Report. In addition, the company has adopted brand names for its existing prismatic and new cylindrical goods: "Ling on berry Power" for cylindrical batteries and "Ling on berry Life" for prismatic products.
Northvolt was founded in 2016 with the help of Volkswagen Group, which intended to minimise its reliance on batteries from Asia. Corporate clients of Northvolt include Volkswagen Group, BMW Group, and Volvo.
At the request of Volkswagen Group, which holds a 20 per cent investment in Northvolt, the development of a cylindrical battery was launched.
Volkswagen is Northvolt's lone customer for cylindrical batteries. Volkswagen is anticipated to use cylindrical batteries beginning around 2025. Accordingly, Northvolt's mass production of cylindrical batteries is scheduled to proceed under Volkswagen Group's timeline.
Three firms dominate the global cylindrical battery market: LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and Panasonic. Samsung SDI is anticipated to be most affected by Northvolt among the three. Samsung SDI is a maker of cylindrical and prismatic batteries. Samsung SDI and Northvolt have identical product offerings. Their corporate clientele overlaps greatly. The majority of Northvolt's customers are also Samsung SDI customers. As a result, it is anticipated that competition between Samsung SDI and Northvolt will strengthen.
The fact that Northvolt has developed a 2170 cylindrical battery does not imply that it has the same technological prowess as the other three businesses. LG Energy Solution and Panasonic are planning to provide Tesla with 4,680 batteries. Samsung SDI has set the diameter of its next-generation cylindrical battery at 46 mm and is in the process of determining its height through client consultations. Unlike the other three firms, Northbolt has only developed the 2710 model that the other three are now selling.
Experts on Korean batteries say that Northvolt will not be able to close its technological deficit with Korean battery manufacturers on time. However, they agreed that Northvolt and the Korean battery manufacturers would continue to compete for battery orders.
European nations and manufacturers operating in Europe are attempting to support the development of battery companies in the continent.
New battery manufacturers have developed in Europe, beginning with Northbolt and including Britishvolt in the United Kingdom, ACC in France, and Italvolt in Italy. These new companies are striving to create batteries in large quantities.
"While the number of competitors has increased, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Korean battery companies are facing big trouble is facing,” an industry analyst said. “European carmakers are partnering with European battery makers to secure a stable battery supply chain and induce price competition. Now that the electric vehicle market is rapidly expanding, battery sales will not dwindle.”
Source: Business Korea
