KNS announced on March 25 that its affiliate ZR Korea has begun mass shipments of key components for 4680 cylindrical batteries to a major North American electric vehicle manufacturer, marking the first such case in Korea. The products are used in the riveting process of 4680 batteries and serve as critical components that determine battery safety and structural stability. They function to bond and seal multiple insulating parts, including insulators and gaskets.

According to Teslamac on Feb. 25 (local time), select rear-wheel-drive (RWD) Model Y vehicles produced at Tesla’s Grünheide plant in Germany have been equipped with U.S.-made 4680 battery cells since January this year. The 4680-format batteries are produced at Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas in the United States.

On June 13, at the 2025 SMM (13th) Minor Metal Industry Conference - Rare and Scattered Metals Forum (Indium, Germanium, Gallium, Bismuth, Selenium, Tellurium), hosted by Shandong Humon Smelting Co., Ltd. and SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd., Long Wensheng, General Manager of Changsha Aochang Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd., elaborated on "The Current Application Status and Future Prospects of Minor Metal Selenium.

**[Large Cylindrical Battery Trend Takes Off]** Recent news indicates that the fourth quarter of 2024 will mark the period of large-scale mass production for large cylindrical batteries. For instance, Tesla officially announced during its Q2 2024 financial report meeting that it will mass-produce dual-dry 4680 large cylindrical batteries, which will be first applied to the Cybertruck. LG Energy Solution stated that the 4680 battery production line at its Ochang factory in South Korea is ready and is expected to commence large-scale production in the fourth quarter of 2024. BAK Battery will complete the mass production of 2.5GWh of large cylindrical batteries by the end of 2024, with production capacity gradually ramping up thereafter.

[Large-scale Production of 46-Series Cylindrical Batteries Imminent] Recently, during Tesla's Q2 2024 financial results conference, Tesla announced the mass production of the dual-dry process 4680 large cylindrical batteries, which will be the first to be applied in the Cybertruck. However, due to unresolved technical issues, the current mass production of Tesla's dual-dry process 4680 large cylindrical batteries can hardly be considered large-scale, and is still in the small-scale production phase. Another battery enterprise, LG Energy Solution, recently stated that its 4680 battery production line at its Ochang factory in South Korea is ready, and large-scale production is expected to commence by the end of Q3 or Q4 of 2024. Additionally, the domestic leading cylindrical battery manufacturer, Bak Battery, also announced earlier this year that the company has established a new-generation digital factory, Bak Battery's Second Zhengzhou Factory, primarily focused on the industrialization of large cylindrical batteries.

Recently, Tesla released its Q2 2024 financial report, which showcased significant growth in its energy storage business that gradually becomes a new growth engine for the company.

GEM's Ternary Cathode Material Occupies a High Proportion" - On July 11th, GEM responded to investors on the investor platform: The company's cathode material shipments include ternary cathode, lithium cobaltate, lithium iron phosphate (manganese), sodium battery materials, etc., among which ternary materials occupy a high proportion. In 2023, the cathode material passed the demonstration of Japan's high-end power battery project, opening up the global market channel for ternary cathode; the 9-series high-nickel product has achieved a breakthrough and is supplied to the 4680 large cylindrical battery market in batches.

【Tesla Is Reportedly Considering Giving up on the Production of 4680 Batteries】According to the US automotive news website autoevolution, it is rumored that Tesla is considering stopping the production of 4680 batteries at its Giga Texas factory in Texas due to unsatisfactory energy density and charging performance, as well as higher costs. If cost reduction cannot achieve the desired effect by the end of the year, Tesla will abandon the production of 4680 batteries and instead procure from external suppliers. Meanwhile, reports from South Korea show that Korean local battery manufacturers LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI are actively preparing for large-scale production of cylindrical batteries with a diameter of 46 millimeters, which seems to confirm the rumor.

Tesla's battery supplier Panasonic said it would delay the commercial production of Tesla's 4680 batteries.

In terms of battery technology, CATL chairman said that its Qilin battery will be used in high-end EV models.