
LG INR18650 MJ1 is an 18650 cylindrical cell made by LG, NMC811 cathode and graphite anode with silicon.
Key features
- 259.6Wh/kg at 23°C
- 266Wh/kg [6]
- 736Wh/litre at 23°C
- 720Wh/litre [6]
- 965W/kg
- 2736W/litre
Designed to meet
- Safety:
- Transport: UN38.3
- Quality:
- Nominal Capacity = 3.5Ah
- Nominal Voltage = 3.635V
- Nominal Energy = 12.72Wh
- Charge
- Charge cutoff voltage = 4.2V
- Maximum charge rate = 1.0 C (3400mA)
- Temperature limits = 0° to 45°C
- Discharge
- Cutoff voltage = 2.5V
- Maximum discharge current = 10A
- Maximum pulse discharge = 18.9A
Maximum current was based on 50% SoC nominal voltage, cutoff at 2.5V and DCIR of 60mΩ
- DCIR = 33mΩ
- Temperature limits = -20° to 60°C
- Storage temperature
- 1 month -20 ~ 60℃
- 3 month -20 ~ 45℃
- 1 year -20 ~ 20℃
- Cycle life = 400 cycles [2]
- see detail ageing test conclusions from EU project
This post has been built based on the support and sponsorship of: Quarto Technical Services, TAE Power Solutions, h.e.l group and The Limiting Factor.

Dimensions
- Diameter: 18.4 +0.1 / -0.3 mm (Max. 18.5mm)
- hole through centre of jelly roll, diameter ~2mm
- H: 65.0 ±0.2mm (Max. 65.2mm)
- Volume: 0.0172litres
- Mass:
- Maximum = 49.0g
- Average = 46.8g
- Cathode
- nickel (Ni)-rich lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (811)
- length = 610mm
- width = 59mm
- thickness = 0.16mm
- Anode
- graphite based with a presence of Si
- Silicon content ~ 3.5wt% [10]
- length = 660mm
- width = 60mm
- thickness = 0.17mm
- graphite based with a presence of Si
- Case
- wall thickness = 0.19mm
- average = 0.165mm [9]
- wall thickness = 0.19mm

The cell mass is given as a maximum of 49.0g on the specification sheet.
Batemo quote 46.7g for the cell mass. NASA have looked at using this cell in manned space missions, this data table [5] gives a bit more data and a mass of 46.8g


Cylindrical Cell Electrode Estimation
Knowing the outer and inner diameter of the spiral along with it’s thickness we can calculate the length of the material to create it.
D is the inner diameter of the cylindrical can.
The inner diameter is that of the mandrel around which we wind the spiral.
Test data
- Maximum discharge current =
- Short circuit current = A
- ACIR ≤ 40 mΩ at 1kHz
- DCIR = 60mΩ [4]
- Capacity
- The specification sheet [2] shows a significant capacity temperature dependence

- Ageing
- The EVERLASTING EU project used this cell for their ageing studies and conducted extensive testing. Their conclusions from their report [1] are shown below:
- The ageing stress factor investigated in this study are:
- the environmental temperature during life cycling and during storage where it was shown that high (45°C) and very low (0°C) temperatures increases the ageing rate. This was observed for both calendar and life cycling tests.
- the cycling C-rate where the charge and discharge currents were varied. It was shown that high discharge rate (3C) led the cell to its EOL in less than 600 equivalent cycles.
- the cycling window where the two most common ranges were used i.e. 70 to 90%SOC (corresponding to home to work daily trip) and 10 to 90%SOC. This study shows that cycling in a wide SOC window decreases the cells’ lifetime.
- the storage SOC level. This test simulates the effect of car parking on the cell lifetime. It was shown that high (45°C) and low (0°C) temperatures increases the cell’s ageing rate. And low SOC (10%) has the lowest degradation effect compared to 70% and 90%SOC. However it was shown that compared the cells stored at 90%SOC, the ones stored at 70%SOC has a higher degradation rate. Additional ageing tests were started to better understand this behaviour rand will be reported in later reports and SCI papers.
- Gas Pressure
- Hemmerling et al [10] show the gas pressure versus SoC for an LG INR18650 MJ1 cell during a stepped C/3 charge cycle with a relaxation time.

This post has been built based on the support and sponsorship of: Quarto Technical Services, TAE Power Solutions, h.e.l group and The Limiting Factor.
Safety data
Independent safety tests of the cell.
- Thermal Runaway
- energy released = 73.8kJ
- 80% of energy released through ejected material and gases
Test | Result | Comments |
---|---|---|
External Short Circuit | No explode, No fire | 100mΩ-wire for 1 hour (UL1642) |
Overcharge | No explode, No fire | UL1642 |
Forced Discharge | No explode, No fire | discharged at 0.2C to 250% of the minimum capacity. |
Crush | No explode, No fire | UL1642 |
Impact | No explode, No fire | UL1642 |
Shock | ||
Vibration | No Leakage | 90 minutes per axis (x, y, z) excursion of 0.8mm, 10Hz to 55Hz and sweep of 1Hz change per minute |
Temperature Cycling | ||
Low Pressure | ||
Nail Penetration | ||
External Heat | No explode, No fire | UL1642 |
Drop | No leakage, No temperature rise |
Known Applications
Please let us know of specific uses of this cell.
Conclusions
In terms of key metrics has a good energy density and ok power density. We would class this as more of a energy cell.
Note: if you have tested this cell independently and able to share data please contact us nigel@batterydesign.net
References:
- EVERLASTING = Electric Vehicle Enhanced Range, Lifetime And Safety Through INGenious battery management D2.3 – Report containing aging test profiles and test results February 2020,
- Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery Model : INR18650 MJ1 3500mAh, LG Chem
- Review and Independent Testing https://lygte-info.dk
- T. M. M. Heenan, A. Jnawali, M. D. R. Kok, T. G Tranter, C. Tan, A. Dimitrijevic, R. Jervis, D. J. L. Brett and P. R. Shearing, An Advanced Microstructural and Electrochemical Datasheet on 18650 Li-Ion Batteries with Nickel-Rich NMC811 Cathodes and Graphite-Silicon Anodes, 2020 J. Electrochem. Soc. 167
- Open source raw data on the MJ1 from this paper is available here: https://rdr.ucl.ac.uk/authors/Thomas_Heenan/6783557
- Eric Darcy, Passively Thermal Runaway Propagation Resistant Battery Module that Achieves > 190 Wh/kg, Sustainable Aircraft Symposium, Redwood City, CA, May 6-7, 2016
- Eric Darcy, Safe, High Power / Voltage Battery Module Design Challenges, Battery Show Europe, Stuttgart, Germany, 7-9 May 2019
- Performance of Commercial High Energy and High Power Li-Ion Cells in Jovian Missions Encountering High Radiation Environments, NASA Battery Workshop, November 19-21, 2019
- Statistical Characterization of 18650 – Format Lithium – Ion Cell Thermal Runaway Energy Distributions, NASA Aerospace Battery Workshop, Huntsville, Alabama, 11/14/2017 to 11/16/2017
- Natalie Anderson, Minh Tran, and Eric Darcy, 18650 Cell Bottom Vent: Preliminary Evaluation into its Merits for Preventing Side Wall Rupture, NASA-JSC, S&T Meeting, San Diego, CA, 7 Dec 2016
- Jessica Hemmerling, Johannes Schäfer, Tobias Jung, Tina Kreher, Marco Ströbel, Carola Gassmann, Jonas Günther, Alexander Fill, Kai Peter Birke, Investigation of internal gas pressure and internal temperature of cylindrical Li-ion cells to study thermodynamical and mechanical properties of hard case battery cells, Journal of Energy Storage, Volume 59, 2023