Panasonic
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Tesla's main battery supplier, Panasonic, says the two companies won't have enough battery-building capacity to support production of the Model Y. In a conference announcing the company's annual earnings last Thursday, Panasonic CEO Kazuhiro Tsuga told reporters that "batteries will run out if Tesla starts to sell the Model Y and expands its business next year. What will we do then?" Bloomberg first reported the story. Last month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk Tweeted that Panasonic's battery production at the companies' joint Gigafactory 1 in Nevada has constrained Tesla's production of the Model 3...
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China's largest electric-car battery maker, CATL, sets sights on U.S. market
Just a handful of companies today make the bulk of battery cells used in plug-in electric cars worldwide. Now the largest single maker of electric-vehicle cells in China has expanded its focus, from the home market to global markets and specifically the U.S. The name, CATL, may not be familiar to...
John Voelcker -
Toyota, Panasonic agree to study prismatic battery cells for electric cars
For the 20 years since the introduction of the Prius, Toyota has enjoyed the first-mover advantage in hybrid cars, and leveraged those green credentials to boost public perception of its brand as a whole. But Toyota has yet to mass-market a battery-electric vehicle in the U.S., as Nissan has done...
Mark Stevenson -
Tesla Model 3 battery cells will turn a profit for Panasonic by next year
Relatively few people focus on it, but the huge Japanese electronics company Panasonic is a minority shareholder in electric-car maker Tesla. The deal dates all the way back to November 2010, the same year that Tesla completed its initial public offering after Toyota took a stake in the company and...
John Voelcker -
Panasonic sees Tesla as deeper partner for self-driving cars too: CEO
Japanese electronics firm Panasonic has been a close partner of Tesla Motors for many years now. It is the Silicon Valley automaker's sole battery supplier, it helps fund and operate the Tesla "Gigafactory" in Nevada, and the company owns a small stake in the carmaker. But Panasonic wants to move...
Stephen Edelstein -
Why new Tesla 100D battery may be crucial for the Tesla Model 3
Last month, when Tesla Motors announced new, even larger battery packs for its Model S sedan and Model X crossover utility vehicle, reaction was less than ecstatic. While even faster, even longer-range electric cars are nice and all, commentators said, shouldn't Tesla be sticking to its knitting?...
John Voelcker -
Nissan, alone among high-volume electric car makers, owns half of the company that makes the battery cells for its cars. Tesla Motors doesn't own any of Panasonic, which has supplied all cells to date for its three vehicles (though Panasonic owns a small part of Tesla). GM doesn't own any of LG Chem, nor does BMW own any of its various cell suppliers. DON'T MISS: Nissan's Electric-Car Battery Future: Will It Be With LG Chem? (Sep 2014) But Nissan and Japanese electronics maker NEC jointly own and run Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), which they set up several years before the first...
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Tesla battery gigafactory opens as pace ramps up to ludicrous
If it's built out to the full size in the original plans, the Tesla gigafactory outside Reno, Nevada, will cover 10 million square feet. That's the equivalent of more than 260 U.S. football fields, which would make it one of the largest buildings in the world. Yesterday, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk...
John Voelcker -
VW's big electric-car pledge: LG Chem, Panasonic possible battery partners (updated)
Volkswagen reportedly hopes to sell 1 million electric cars within the next decade.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla battery partner Panasonic expects cell sales to double in three years
Panasonic expects significant growth in its battery-cell sales, driven by demand from Tesla.
Stephen Edelstein -
Panasonic to build electric-car battery cells at Tesla gigafactory this year: report
Panasonic may begin production of battery cells at the Tesla "gigafactory" earlier than expected.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla talks to LG, Samsung about Model 3 battery cell supplies
Since the start of Tesla Model S electric-car production in 2012, the company's lithium-ion cells have been supplied by its Japanese partner Panasonic. That applies to the more recent Tesla Model X crossover SUV as well—and Panasonic was also an early investor in Tesla Motors shares, owning a...
John Voelcker -
Battery makers are becoming increasingly important in the development of electric cars.
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Which battery will Porsche Mission E electric car use?
Either Bosch or Panasonic could reportedly supply battery cells for Porsche's electric sedan.
Stephen Edelstein -
Panasonic Commits $1.6 Billion For Tesla Battery Gigafactory
Panasonic's president says the company will invest $1.6 billion in the Tesla Gigafactory.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla And Panasonic: Partners In Electric Cars, Foes In Home Energy Storage
Tesla and Panasonic may soon compete in home energy storage.
Stephen Edelstein -
Do Tesla, Panasonic Differ Dramatically On Growth Of Electric Car Batteries?
The rate of sales growth for electric cars may be the greatest unknown in the auto industry as companies prepare to spend billions of dollars on new products. Electric-car startup Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] projects annual sales to increase by 50 percent for years to come. Other makers, industry...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Gigafactory To Host 'Hundreds' Of Panasonic Workers Starting This Fall
Panasonic will send workers to Nevada as part of its ongoing involvement with the Tesla "Gigafactory."
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla's battery chief says Japanese suppliers need to take greater risks to work with the carmaker.
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Tesla Gigafactory: New Photos Show Progress On Battery Plant In Nevada
To be able to build and sell its planned $35,000 Tesla Model 3 electric sedan, Tesla Motors must first build its lithium-ion cell "gigafactory" in Nevada and then test and validate the batteries it produces. But if the latest photos are any indication, work is proceeding rapidly on the huge...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Gigafactory For Electric-Car Batteries: Site Work Continues (Photos)
Last September, Nevada governor Brian Sandoval signed a bill granting various tax breaks and incentives to Tesla Motors for construction of its massive battery "gigafactory" outside Reno. Now, photos taken yesterday show that work on the site--empty desert land less than a year ago--is well...
John Voelcker -
Panasonic To Invest Hundreds Of Millions In Tesla Gigafactory To Start
Panasonic will invest hundreds of millions of dollars as a first installment in its gigafactory support.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla, Panasonic Sign Gigafactory Pact; Nevada Site Work Already Underway?
Now it's official: Panasonic and Tesla Motors will build the "gigafactory," a huge lithium-ion cell fabrication and battery-pack production facility in the western United States. Today Tesla will report its second-quarter earnings after the market closes, and CEO Elon Musk was bound to face...
John Voelcker -
Tesla And Panasonic Reach Agreement On Gigafactory Project: Report
Panasonic will reportedly invest funds and provide equipment for the massive lithium-ion cell factory.
Stephen Edelstein