CATL to Supply LMFP Batteries to Tesla in Q4 for Model Y Production

Photo: 吃不胖的胖小雷

CATL will start deliveries of new M3P batteries with LMFP cathode to Tesla in Q4 for the production of Model Y with a 72 kWh battery. The first cars with new batteries should roll off the assembly line in early 2023.

Chinese news outlet LatePost reported that CATL will start supplying M3P batteries to Tesla in the fourth quarter of 2022. These will be used to produce Model Y with a 72 kWh battery pack. After receiving the batteries, Tesla will carry out appropriate tests and will be able to start production just three months after receiving them. Thus, the start of production with new batteries will begin only at the beginning of 2023.

The report also indicates that the Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP) material used in CATL M3P batteries will be supplied by Shenzhen Dynanonic Co, which plans to start production of 110,000 tons of LMFP material in the second half of this year.

At the end of July, CATL chief scientist, Wu Kai, during a presentation at the 2022 World EV & ES Battery Conference, said that the M3P battery is already in mass production and will be used in 2023. The M3P battery is a CATL battery based on a new material system that has a higher energy density than lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and a lower cost than ternary batteries, Wu said.

The M3P battery uses the olivine structure of LFP as the base lattice structure, replacing iron at some points by doping two of the metallic elements including magnesium, zinc, and aluminum, according to a recent research note by Shengang Securities. This design generates a ternary material in the phosphate system to improve charge/discharge capacity and cycle stability, according to the note.

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