LG Energy Solution agrees to supply 46-series battery cells for US vans

LG Energy Solution said Oct. 1 it signed an agreement with US commercial vehicle startup indiGOtech to explore supplying 46-series cylindrical battery cells for electric vans starting in 2027.

The South Korean battery manufacturer reported that its global cylindrical battery shipments increased 50% year-on-year during the second quarter of 2026, driven by rising demand for large cylindrical formats.

LG Energy Solution is preparing its manufacturing complex in Queen Creek, Arizona, which includes 36 gigawatt-hours of planned cylindrical cell capacity, to begin operations by late 2026.

The pact with indiGOtech establishes a framework to supply nickel-cobalt-manganese cylindrical cells across a four-year delivery window running from 2027 through 2030, the companies said.

Both companies plan to use the cells in indiGOtech's upcoming purpose-built commercial models, designated the Flow Ride passenger van and the Flow Cargo delivery vehicle.

The engineering teams will jointly test vehicle-battery integration under high-cycle commercial duty cycles, focusing on extending driving range and cutting charging intervals for fleet operators.

Headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts, indiGOtech designs light commercial electric vans built around its proprietary SmartWheels propulsion system, which packages drive motors and active suspension inside the wheel assemblies.

Placing drive motors inside the wheels eliminates traditional axles and central drive shafts. That mechanical layout lowers the cabin floor and expands interior cargo volume for urban delivery carriers.

Urban delivery and ride-hail fleets require dedicated electric architectures to replace internal combustion vehicles, indiGOtech Chief Executive Will Graylin said in the joint statement.

Existing passenger electric vehicles are not designed for intensive commercial use and face severe municipal charging bottlenecks, Graylin said, leaving delivery companies reliant on gasoline vehicles.

Graylin said the multi-year partnership with LG Energy Solution aims to secure high-density cell chemistry that provides durable operating cost savings across commercial van fleets.

The agreement broadens the commercial reach of South Korean battery makers into specialized American delivery platforms, Sunghwan Oh, head of mobility battery marketing at LG Energy Solution, said.

Oh said the company intends to use the indiGOtech partnership to establish a direct presence across North American logistics operators and transportation-as-a-service platforms.

The framework agreement marks an operational diversification for LG Energy Solution, broadening its 46-series customer base beyond private passenger cars into high-utilization commercial fleets.

The 46-series format uses a 46-millimeter cell diameter, yielding roughly six times the energy capacity of conventional 2170 cylindrical cells while improving volumetric energy density.

LG Energy Solution incorporates high-nickel nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum cathode chemistry alongside tabless electrode architecture to lower electrical resistance and reduce heat generation during fast charging.

Commercial delivery vans subject battery packs to continuous vibration and high cycle frequency during multi-stop urban delivery routes. Cylindrical steel casings offer structural robustness that resists mechanical deformation under repeated payload shifts.

Securing commercial vehicle references provides LG Energy Solution with critical fleet operating data ahead of full commercial output from its domestic US production footprint.

LG Energy Solution allocated $5.5 billion to construct its standalone Arizona manufacturing complex, committing $3.2 billion of that capital to dedicated cylindrical cell lines.

Producing battery cells in the United States helps commercial fleet customers comply with domestic content criteria under federal clean vehicle credit frameworks, lowering procurement overhead.

In addition to vehicle production, indiGOtech is assembling an operating network that combines dedicated depot charging hardware with fleet management telematics software. The company aims to offer commercial operators turnkey electric delivery vans alongside digital dispatch services.

Kim Nak-jin, an executive overseeing product planning for the small battery business unit at LG Energy Solution, represented the cell maker during the signing ceremony. Both management teams confirmed that technical integration teams will begin preliminary battery pack simulations immediately.

The document signed by the two companies remains a non-binding memorandum of understanding rather than an executed, definitive commercial purchase contract.

The notice does not state the total gigawatt-hour volume, contracted cell counts, or monetary value of the prospective supply arrangement.

LG Energy Solution plans to begin initial operations at the Queen Creek plant by late 2026, setting the stage for binding contract negotiations before 2027 deliveries begin.