Panasonic's 4680 EV Cylindrical Battery Mass Production Repeatedly Delayed, Commercialization Stalls

Panasonic Energy's 4680-format cylindrical lithium-ion battery for electric vehicles has not yet received final customer approval and has failed to enter mass production. The battery is approximately twice the volume and offers about five times the capacity of the earlier 2170 cells. Mass production was originally scheduled for the end of fiscal year 2024, but in July 2025, the timeline was pushed back to March 2026—a target that ultimately was not met. Panasonic Energy had planned to build a third U.S. battery factory dedicated to 4680 cell production, but this plan was put on hold in 2024. Additionally, the startup of its existing automotive battery plant in Kansas, USA, has also been delayed. Against the backdrop of slowing demand in the electric vehicle market, the company has begun reallocating part of its production capacity to energy storage system (ESS) batteries.