Scheduled for supply in 2028, Mercedes-Benz adds a new 46-series specification, and LG Energy Solution's Poland plant secures EU funding.
Mercedes-Benz's next-generation electric vehicles are set to adopt a previously undisclosed large-format cylindrical battery specification.
On October 1, according to the South Korean media outlet THE ELEC, LG Energy Solution plans to supply 46100 large-format cylindrical batteries to Mercedes-Benz, with production line construction expected to begin in 2027 and supply starting in 2028.
The 46100 designation indicates a cell diameter of 46mm and a height of 100mm. Previously, the 46-series products publicly disclosed by LG Energy Solution mainly included the 4680, 4695, and 46120, without this specific size.
The supply base has also been explicitly directed to Europe.
According to reports, LG Energy Solution plans to build a 46100 production line at its Wroclaw plant in Poland and is currently adjusting relevant production equipment at its Ochang plant in South Korea to match subsequent European mass production requirements.
Meanwhile, LG Energy Solution is also considering directly undertaking the module and PACK manufacturing for Mercedes-Benz's 46100 batteries.
Behind this new product plan is the continuously expanding long-term procurement partnership between the two parties.
Since October 2024, LG Energy Solution and Mercedes-Benz have signed four battery supply agreements. Among them, the disclosed procurement volume of three contracts totals 157.5GWh, while the value of the other contract is approximately KRW 2.06 trillion.
From long-term orders to new specifications, and further to European production line construction, the supply arrangement for Mercedes-Benz's 46-series large-format cylindrical batteries is gradually becoming clear.
However, LG Energy Solution has not yet officially confirmed the customer identity for the 46100 or the specific supply scale.
01 Mercedes-Benz 46100 Large Cylindrical Battery for 2028 Delivery
According to information disclosed by South Korean media, LG Energy Solution is retrofitting 46100-related equipment in the OC9 facility of Energy Plant 2 at its Ochang plant in South Korea, preparing for subsequent mass production at the Poland plant.
This plant has previously undertaken the development and production of LG Energy Solution's 46-series cylindrical batteries.
The newly added 46100 specification is 20mm taller than the 4680 cell promoted by Tesla and 5mm taller than the 4695 for which LG Energy Solution has secured orders from Rivian.
Changes in cell length can provide options in terms of capacity and spatial layout for different vehicle platforms.
Currently, Mercedes-Benz has not disclosed the specific vehicle models corresponding to the 46100 battery, nor has it revealed the single-cell capacity, energy density, charging rate, or battery pack design.
However, the long-term procurement contracts previously signed by both parties provide a clear business context.
In October 2024, LG Energy Solution announced it had secured a 50.5GWh battery order from a Mercedes-Benz affiliate, with plans to supply the North American and other markets from 2028 to 2038.
In September 2025, the two parties signed two additional procurement agreements: a 32GWh order for the European market and a 75GWh order for the US market, with supply starting in 2028 and 2029, respectively.
In December of the same year, LG Energy Solution once again secured a battery supply contract from Mercedes-Benz worth approximately KRW 2.06 trillion, covering the European and North American markets. The supply period is from March 2028 to June 2035, with the specific volume undisclosed.
Among the four long-term procurement agreements, the three with disclosed volumes total 157.5GWh.
Among these, some orders have previously been linked by South Korean media to the 46-series cylindrical batteries, but the official side has not yet disclosed the cell specifications and specific product allocation corresponding to each contract.
The recent news about the 46100 further clarifies a product solution that the two parties are advancing.
In addition to cell supply, LG Energy Solution is also studying the feasibility of directly undertaking the module and PACK manufacturing for Mercedes-Benz's cylindrical batteries.
Previously, module and battery pack assembly for LG Energy Solution's cylindrical battery business was typically handled by external companies. As the scale of long-term procurement from automotive customers expands, building in-house module production lines is becoming economically viable.
According to South Korean media, LG Energy Solution is evaluating the relevant investment from the perspective of operating costs to reduce outsourcing processing fees and intermediate link costs.
However, the company also stated that the investment in cylindrical battery module production lines has not been finalized, and there are currently no plans to comprehensively build in-house capacity for all cylindrical battery modules.
02 Poland 12GWh Production Line Secures EUR 90.8 Million Support
Prior to the exposure of the Mercedes-Benz 46100 supply plan, LG Energy Solution had already announced its manufacturing layout for 46-series large-format cylindrical batteries in Europe.
In February 2026, LG Energy Solution Poland announced the advancement of the 46inEU project, planning to introduce a next-generation 46-series cylindrical battery production line at its existing Wroclaw plant.
According to corporate disclosures, the project plans an annual production of approximately 90 million cells, corresponding to a capacity of about 12GWh.
Official EU data indicates a capacity of approximately 11.5GWh. The project is scheduled to begin operations in the third quarter of 2028 and has secured EUR 90.8 million in support from the EU Innovation Fund.
This is the first 46-series cylindrical battery production line that LG Energy Solution is advancing in Europe.
LG Energy Solution has been operating locally for many years, with the Wroclaw plant previously primarily engaged in the production of pouch cell products for power batteries.
The addition of the 46-series production line will further broaden the product portfolio of its European base.
In terms of technical solutions, the 46inEU project plans to adopt an NCMA (Nickel Cobalt Manganese Aluminum) quaternary cathode and a silicon-based anode. By optimizing cell structure and welding processes, it aims to enhance electrical conductivity, thermal management capabilities, and structural reliability.
The project plan also proposes that the 46-series cells will support higher energy density and faster charging speeds.
From a timeline perspective, the Poland project is set to commence production in the third quarter of 2028, which basically aligns with Mercedes-Benz's plan to start supplying the 46100 in 2028.
However, currently available public information has not confirmed whether the 46inEU project will be entirely dedicated to the Mercedes-Benz 46100, nor has it disclosed the specific capacity allocation for the 46100 within this project.
Notably, the advancement of the Poland project is occurring during a period of adjustment in the landscape of localized battery manufacturing in Europe.
Previously, following the bankruptcy of Northvolt and the shelving of some ACC projects, European domestic battery manufacturing plans have undergone continuous adjustments.
LG Energy Solution, leveraging its existing European production bases, is increasing the capacity for next-generation cylindrical batteries and securing EU financial support.
For European automakers like Mercedes-Benz, promoting local production by suppliers based on long-term procurement agreements can further shorten the battery supply chain and reduce uncertainties in cross-regional supply.
The next critical milestones for the Mercedes-Benz 46100 project will be the production line construction in 2027 and the mass production delivery in 2028.
03 4680, 4695, 46100, 46120: Large Cylindrical Batteries Enter Multi-Specification Competition
With the exposure of the Mercedes-Benz 46100, the product specifications for 46-series large-format cylindrical batteries have been further enriched.
This wave of 46-series commercialization was initially driven by Tesla.
In 2020, Tesla announced its development plan for the 4680 large-format cylindrical battery. Since then, it has continuously advanced the production of in-house cells and applied them in models such as the Cybertruck.
Battery companies such as LG Energy Solution and Panasonic have also successively invested in 4680 R&D and capacity building.
However, changes have occurred in the 4680 cooperation between LG Energy Solution and Tesla.
In July 2025, the South Korean media outlet IB Tomato reported that Tesla had notified LG Energy Solution that it could not fulfill the originally planned 4680 procurement.
At the time, LG Energy Solution denied the reports, stating that it could not confirm contract details due to customer non-disclosure agreements.
On October 1 this year, THE ELEC once again mentioned that the 4680 contract originally planned by LG Energy Solution to supply Tesla has fallen through.
Meanwhile, 46-series large-format cylindrical batteries are entering the procurement systems of more automakers.
BMW has chosen two specifications: 4695 and 46120.
In 2022, BMW announced the development of its sixth-generation cylindrical battery for the Neue Klasse platform, uniformly adopting a 46mm diameter and offering two height options: 95mm and 120mm.
Among them, CATL and BMW signed a long-term framework agreement for cylindrical battery supply, planning to produce related products in China and Europe.
BMW has also introduced EVE Energy and Envision AESC to advance supply chain layouts in different regions.
Rivian, on the other hand, has chosen the 4695.
In November 2024, LG Energy Solution announced the signing of a 67GWh cylindrical battery supply agreement with the US electric vehicle company Rivian, with a supply period of over five years.
According to the agreement, LG Energy Solution will produce 4695 cells at its Arizona plant in the US, primarily to support Rivian's R2 model.
This is a significant order for the commercialization of LG Energy Solution's 46-series products, further enabling its large-format cylindrical battery business to reduce reliance on a single customer.
Now, Mercedes-Benz has introduced the new 46100 specification.
From 4680 to 4695, 46100, and 46120, the 46-series has formed a market landscape where different length specifications run in parallel.
The identical 46mm diameter facilitates suppliers in establishing commonalities in certain manufacturing processes, material systems, and equipment technologies.
However, changes in cell length still affect single-cell capacity, internal structure, electrode design, thermal management, and battery pack integration methods.
Exactly how much production line equipment can be shared among different specifications, and the impact of specification switching on manufacturing efficiency and yield rates, are becoming engineering challenges that battery manufacturers need to solve to expand their 46-series businesses.
LG Energy Solution's recent adjustment of 46100 equipment at its Ochang plant in South Korea and subsequent introduction to the mass production line in Poland also reflects that new specifications require dedicated process adaptation.
On the other hand, Mercedes-Benz's own battery procurement is also diversifying.
In April this year, Samsung SDI announced for the first time that it had signed a long-term supply agreement with Mercedes-Benz for electric vehicle batteries. It will provide high-nickel NCM batteries to support Mercedes-Benz's future compact and mid-size electric SUVs and coupe models. This project adopts a prismatic battery solution.
Coupled with previous suppliers such as CATL, SK On, and Farasis Energy, Mercedes-Benz's battery procurement system simultaneously covers different product forms and technical routes.
For 46-series cylindrical batteries, the inclusion of more automakers in procurement brings new commercialization space but also poses more complex manufacturing requirements.
From Tesla's in-house production of the 4680, to BMW's layout of the 4695 and 46120, and further to Rivian's long-term order for the 4695 and Mercedes-Benz's plan for the 46100, the 46-series is forming a market landscape with multiple customers and multiple specifications.
In the coming years, as these orders enter the actual delivery phase, the competition among large-format cylindrical battery manufacturers will further extend to multi-specification manufacturing, production line compatibility, and scaled delivery capabilities.