AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)06/27 Report--

Tesla's batteries mainly come from Panasonic, and Tesla has relied on Panasonic to supply battery cores since signing a broad cooperation agreement with Panasonic in 2014. The supply of Panasonic batteries has been one of the main reasons for Tesla's failure to increase the speed of mass production.

According to some current and former employees of Tesla, Tesla is secretly developing its own batteries to get rid of its current dependence on Panasonic in battery production.

Current and former employees of Tesla say that employees of Tesla's battery research and development team are now focusing on designing and manufacturing advanced lithium-ion batteries, as well as new production equipment and processes that allow Tesla to produce a large number of batteries.

Tesla employees conducted partial battery manufacturing research at a "skunk laboratory" (skunkworks lab) in the company's Kato Road facility. The laboratory is not far from Tesla's car factory in Fremont, California.

The plant is where Tesla now produces Model 3, Model S and Model X cars, and its batteries are made at the Sparks Gigafactory Super Factory in Nevada, which is also owned and operated by Panasonic.

The initiative to develop batteries independently could help Tesla provide cheaper and higher-performance electric vehicles without paying fees to external suppliers or partners or sharing data and resources with them. According to market research firm IHS Markit, batteries are a major part of the cost of electric vehicles.

Elon Musk, chief executive, admitted at the company's annual shareholder meeting in early June that the company had been "limited by batteries" in the past. This means that the lack of batteries limits the production and sale of Tesla's electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

Tesla reported a net loss of $702 million in the first quarter of 2019 on April 25, due to Panasonic's inability to provide enough batteries, resulting in underproduction of the Model 3 in the first quarter.

In fact, the production of their own batteries is Tesla's goal in recent years. Last month, the company released job postings for a variety of engineers for battery design, battery production equipment and battery manufacturing processes. However, it is understood that even if Tesla succeeds in making its own batteries, the company is unlikely to cut ties with Panasonic or other battery suppliers any time soon.

Welcome to subscribe to the WeChat public account "Automotive Industry Focus" to get the first-hand insider information on the automotive industry and talk about things in the automotive circle. Welcome to break the news! WeChat ID autoWechat