Lithium-Ion Cells in Automotive Applications: Tesla 4680 Cylindrical Cell Teardown and Characterization

Manuel Ank, Alessandro Sommer, Kareem Abo Gamra, Jan Schöberl, Matthias Leeb, Johannes Schachtl, Noah Streidel, Sandro Stock, Markus Schreiber, Philip Bilfinger, Christian Allgäuer, Philipp Rosner, Jan Hagemeister, Matti Rößle, Rüdiger Daub, Markus Lienkamp

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Battery research depends upon up-to-date information on the cell characteristics found in current electric vehicles, which is exacerbated by the deployment of novel formats and architectures. This necessitates open access to cell characterization data. Therefore, this study examines the architecture and performance of first-generation Tesla 4680 cells in detail, both by electrical characterization and thermal investigations at cell-level and by disassembling one cell down to the material level including a three-electrode analysis. The cell teardown reveals the complex cell architecture with electrode disks of hexagonal symmetry as well as an electrode winding consisting of a double-sided and homogeneously coated cathode and anode, two separators and no mandrel. A solvent-free anode fabrication and coating process can be derived. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy as well as differential voltage, incremental capacity and three-electrode analysis confirm a NMC811 cathode and a pure graphite anode without silicon. On cell-level, energy densities of 622.4 Wh/L and 232.5 Wh/kg were determined while characteristic state-of-charge dependencies regarding resistance and impedance behavior are revealed using hybrid pulse power characterization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. A comparatively high surface temperature of ∼70 °C is observed when charging at 2C without active cooling. All measurement data of this characterization study are provided as open source.

Original languageEnglish
Article number120536
JournalJournal of the Electrochemical Society
Volume170
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023

Keywords

  • Cell teardown
  • Characterization
  • Electric vehicle
  • Lithium-ion
  • Tesla 4680
  • Tesla Model Y

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