Choi Yoon-ho, president and CEO of Samsung SDI, announced on March 6, at the opening ceremony of InterBattery 2024, the largest battery exhibition in South Korea held in COEX, Gangnam, Seoul, that “46 mm diameter batteries will be sufficiently ready for mass production by early 2025,” and the exact timing will be adjusted according to customer needs.
The 46 mm cylindrical battery represents a next-generation product with five times the capacity and six times the output compared to existing 21700 (21 mm diameter, 70 mm height) batteries.
Choi stated that mass production preparations are already complete and that all preparations will be finalized within this year. He did not provide specific guidance regarding the investment scale for Samsung SDI this year but mentioned it would be increased from last year.
Regarding the mass production plans for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and solid-state batteries, Choi answered that they are scheduled for 2026 and 2027, respectively.
Samsung SDI has been preparing for mass production centered around the newly established solid-state battery commercialization team and revealed a detailed road map for solid-state battery mass production for the first time at the exhibition.