According to foreign media reports, after months of negotiations regarding long-term supply cooperation for electric vehicle batteries, Subaru and Panasonic Energy have signed a so-called "basic cooperation agreement." The agreement involves Panasonic supplying cylindrical lithium-ion batteries for Subaru's future pure electric vehicles.
The dialogue between the two parties began in July 2023, when Subaru was interested in Panasonic's latest high-capacity cylindrical batteries. It is reported that these batteries are likely to be the 4680 batteries (46 mm in diameter and 80 mm in height) or similar sizes (46xx), rather than prismatic or stacked batteries. Panasonic plans to launch the first batch of 4680 batteries between April and September 2024.
So far, Subaru has only launched one pure electric vehicle, the Solterra, which uses prismatic batteries supplied by CATL with a capacity of 72.8 kWh. The Solterra itself is produced by Subaru's partner Toyota, indicating that Subaru is relatively behind in the electric vehicle field.
In the future, electric vehicle battery systems may undergo significant changes, as automakers have realized that they must reduce costs, increase battery energy density, and possibly turn batteries into structural parts of the vehicle.
Panasonic is preparing to meet the demands of the next generation of pure electric vehicles and is in talks with automakers about their needs before launching billions of dollars in investment. In addition to Subaru, Panasonic has also had similar negotiations with Mazda. Of course, Panasonic is also a major battery supplier for Tesla, and the company is expected to produce 4680 batteries for the Texas-based electric vehicle manufacturer.
The recent basic agreement between Subaru and Panasonic likely includes some interesting targets, but so far, the two parties have not disclosed any details. The two companies stated: "Details of specific cooperation projects will be announced at the appropriate time."
