Battery Cells & Formats
- Exponential Industry
- Technology Area
- 3 Milestones
Cylindrical, prismatic, and pouch battery cells and their chemistries (NMC, LFP, and related formats such as Tesla 4680), as distinct from pack-level or site BESS products. Cell format and cathode/anode design set energy density, cost, and factory tooling; high-volume lines now run in North America for both EV and grid storage. Suppliers include Tesla (4680) and LG Energy Solution (Lansing LFP and NMC).
Hidden Factory
Battery Cells & Formats
Tesla operates first large-scale North America cathode plant (Austin 4680)
Tesla North America (Aug 21, 2026) said it is operating the first large-scale cathode production facility in North America as part of 4680 cell production in Austin, Texas /X/.
LG Energy Solution Lansing battery plant start of production
LG Energy Solution announced start of production Aug 18, 2026 at its new 226-acre Lansing, Michigan plant. Full-scale target more than 35 GWh/year. LFP cells for ESS (via LGES Vertech) and NMC cells for Toyota including the 2027 Highlander EV at TMMK. More than $2B invested since 2022; ~900 employees at SOP, 1,700 at full capacity. Part of a plan for more than 50 GWh North American LFP cell capacity by end of 2026 /LG Energy Solution/.
Sony introduces commercial lithium-ion battery
Sony introduced rechargeable Li-ion in 1991 after engineering the Yoshino/Goodenough chemistry; first used in camcorders, then phones. This follows previous failed commercialization efforts from Exxon (1972) and Oxford LCO (1980) /IEEE Spectrum/.