In this Article, we will compare different Cylindrical Cell Sizes used in electric Vehicles. 4680 vs 21700 vs 18650. if you are interested to learn about Cells, different Cell Formats, Cell Manufacturers, Battery Cell Manufacturing process please click the links.
The Table is live and I will edit along with Nigel as we get more data and information on the particular cell Size. If you want to read in detailed analysis for various Vehicle model please go to Benchmarking section.
Tesla particularly uses Cylindrical cells in their Electric Vehicles. As per recent announcement Tesla is moving to 4680 from 21700 and the older 18650. Tesla various vehicle Models: Model S, Model Y, Model 3, Model X, Roadster. Read about Tesla 4680 cell design.
Rivian and Lucid Motors are also using cylindrical cells 21700 in their vehicle models (R1T, R1S and AIR Dream, Air GT respectively). BMW along with CATL and EVE energy have announced that its NEUE KLASSE type models will use the 46mm diameter geometry cylindrical cells too. The contract awarded are in the double digit billions euro range.
Thus, in this article we thought to compare the various cell sizes and see the different specification for 4680 vs 21700 vs 18650.
Graphical Comparison of 4680 vs 21700 vs 18650
Comparison Table by Specification
| Specification | 4680 | 21700 | 18650 | comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diameter (mm) | 46 | 21 | 18 | |
| Height (mm) | 80 | 70 | 65 | |
| Volume (mm3) | 132885 | 24233 | 16532 | |
| Surface Area (mm2) | 14885 | 5311 | 4185 | |
| Bottom Area (mm2) | 1662 | 346 | 254 | |
| Side Area (mm2) | 11561 | 4618 | 3676 | |
| Total Area to Volume Ratio % | 11.2% | 21.9% | 25.3% | |
| Side Area to Volume Ratio % | 8.7% | 19.05% | 22.22% | |
| Base Area to Volume Ratio % | 1.25% | 1.43% | 1.54% | |
| Volumetric Space as compared to 18650 | 704% | 47% | 0% | |
| Capacity max (mAh) Max | 25000 | 5600 | 3500 | |
| Nominal Energy (Wh) | 98 to 118 | |||
| Net weight (Max) grams | 355 | 70 | 50 | |
| Cell Energy Density max (Wh/Kg) | 276 to 333 | 276 to 300 | 250 | |
| Cell to Pack ratio (Tesla) | 66% | 66% | ||
| Pack Energy Density Max (Wh/Kg) | 182 to 220 | 182 to 198 | ||
| Nominal Voltage (Li Ion) | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | |
| Max Continuous Discharge A | ?? | 45 | 50 | |
| Cycle Life | 1000-2000 | 1500-4000 | ||
| Cathode Thickness (microns) | 85 | 60 to 70 | ||
| Number of Windings (assuming same thickness cathode anode, separator. Total thickness approx 283 microns) | 26.1 | 20.8 | Research Paper | |
Vehicle Models using different sizes 4680, 21700, 18650
| Vehicle Models & Manufacturers | 4680 | 21700 | 18650 | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla | Model Y (Texas) | Model 3 | Model S | |
| Model Y | Model X | |||
| Roadster | ||||
| Rivian | R1T | |||
| R1S | ||||
| Lucid Motors | Air Dream | |||
| Air GT | ||||
| JAC | iEV6 | |||
| BMW | NEUE KLASSE (4695 & 46120) | |||
Battery Manufacturers for 4680, 21700, 18650
| 4680 | 21700 | 18650 |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla | Panasonic | Samsung SDI |
| Panasonic | Samsung SDI | Panasonic |
| LG | LG | Molicel |
| CATL | Molicel | Sony -> Murata |
| EVE | Murata | |
Electric Vehicle Models, Number of Cells, Configuration, Number of Modules for 4680,21700,18650
| Vehicle Models | 4680 | 21700 | 18650 | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y 67kWh | Nr of Cells: 690 Nr of Module: Config: 69S10P | |||
| Tesla Model Y 81kWh | Nr of Cells: 832 Nr of Module: Config: 92S9P | |||
| Tesla Model S 99kWh | Nr of Cells: 7920 Nr of Module: 5 Config: | |||
| Tesla Model 3 | Nr of Cells: Nr of Module: Config: | |||
| Tesla Model X | Nr of Cells: 8256 Nr of Module: 16 Config: | |||
| Tesla Roadster | Nr of Cells: 6831 Nr of Module: 11 Config: | |||
| Rivian R1T 135kWh | Nr of Cells: 7776 Nr of Module: 9*2 Config: 108S4P | |||
| BMW NEUE KLASSE | CATL in year 2025 | |||
| Lucid Motors Air Dream 120kWh | Nr of Cells: 6600 Nr of Module: Config: 220S30P | |||
| Lucid Motors Air GT 114kWh | Nr of Cells: Nr of Module: Config: | |||
Interested in Each Model by Model Benchmarking? Visit our Benchmarking Page.
Benchmarking
Whenever you look at a new design of pack it is important to some benchmarking of that design in the context of other packs. Any new pack will be measured against some key pack metrics and hopefully using a standard list of benchmarking data. Hence a key part of BatteryDesign.net is to collect together some of the benchmarking material available for some of the important packs.