It’s been a while since I’ve looked into what LG Energy Solution is doing in terms of battery technologies.
First, let’s see the four latest battery cells that LG Energy Solution recently introduced. Then build some hypothetical battery packs with them.
LG Energy Solution E101A (NCM)
- Cell model: E101A
- Chemistry: NCM/Graphite
- Capacity: 101,8 Ah
- Nominal voltage: 3,67 V
- Energy: 374 Wh
- Gravimetric energy density: 287 Wh/kg
- Volumetric energy density: 637 Wh/L
- Lenght: 580 mm
- Width: 112,4 mm
- Thickness: 9 mm
- Weight: 1,303 kg
- Production: China and Poland (since 2023)
🔋Battery pack #1
- Cells: 192
- Configuration: 96s2p (400-volt system) or 192s1p (800-volt system)
- Total energy: 71,808 kWh
This would make a good battery pack, especially the 800-volt version…
LG Energy Solution N2.2 (NCM)
- Cell model: N2.2
- Chemistry: NCM/Graphite
- Capacity: 64,8 Ah
- Nominal voltage: 3,634 V
- Energy: 235 Wh
- Gravimetric energy density: 266 Wh/kg
- Volumetric energy density: 556 Wh/L
- Lenght: 301,5 mm
- Width: 100,7 mm
- Thickness: 14 mm
- Weight: 0,885 kg
- Production: Korea and USA (since 2023)
🔋Battery pack #2
- Cells: 192
- Configuration: 96s2p (400-volt system) or 192s1p (800-volt system)
- Total energy: 45,12 kWh
🔋Battery pack #3
- Cells: 288
- Configuration: 96s3p (400-volt system)
- Total energy: 67,68 kWh
🔋Battery pack #4
- Cells: 384
- Configuration: 96s4p (400-volt system) or 192s2p (800-volt system)
- Total energy: 90,24 kWh
LG Energy Solution E72B (NCMA)
- Cell model: E72B
- Chemistry: NCMA/Graphite+SiO
- Capacity: 72,2 Ah
- Nominal voltage: 3,67 V
- Energy: 264 Wh
- Gravimetric energy density: 287 Wh/kg
- Volumetric energy density: 625 Wh/L
- Lenght: 354 mm
- Width: 101,65 mm
- Thickness: 11,44 mm
- Weight: 0,906 kg
- Production: Poland (since 2023)
🔋Battery pack #5
- Cells: 192
- Configuration: 96s2p (400-volt system) or 192s1p (800-volt system)
- Total energy: 50,688 kWh
🔋Battery pack #6
- Cells: 288
- Configuration: 96s3p (400-volt system)
- Total energy: 76,032 kWh
🔋Battery pack #7
- Cells: 384
- Configuration: 96s4p (400-volt system) or 192s2p (800-volt system)
- Total energy: 101,376 kWh
LG Energy Solution E79 (NCMA)
- Cell model: E79
- Chemistry: NCMA/Graphite
- Capacity: 78 Ah
- Nominal voltage: 3,67 V
- Energy: 287 Wh
- Gravimetric energy density: 267 Wh/kg
- Volumetric energy density: 591 Wh/L
- Lenght: 548 mm
- Width: 100,1 mm
- Thickness: 8,55 mm
- Weight: 1,075 kg
- Production: Poland (since 2023)
🔋Battery pack #8
- Cells: 192
- Configuration: 96s2p (400-volt system) or 192s1p (800-volt system)
- Total energy: 55,104 kWh
With 52 kWh of usable capacity, this would be a good battery pack for a small electric car like Renault 5 E-Tech, just saying…
🔋Battery pack #9
- Cells: 288
- Configuration: 96s3p (400-volt system)
- Total energy: 76,342 kWh
We’re done for today. Not only we discovered the battery cells that will likely power the cool Renault 5 E-Tech, we also found out that only the plant in Poland is producing NCMA battery cells for LG Energy Solution.
Nonetheless, I’m not impressed, since I expected that by now LG Energy Solution would have some cobalt-free and prismatic battery cells to use in a module-less battery pack design.
Chinese battery cell makers have been assembling module-less packs for years now, while LG still relies on soft pouch cells in modules for safety reasons. When your battery cells aren’t safe enough and don’t pass the puncture/overcharging abuse tests, you need modules to act as firewalls and prevent fire from spreading through all the pack if one or more cells get damage.
Meanwhile, CATL is currently mass-producing the cell-to-pack (CTP) Qilin battery with an energy density of 255 Wh/kg at the pack level - using prismatic NCM cells…
More info:
https://www.lgensol.com/assets/file/202312_LGES_Commercial_EV_Catalog_en.pdf
