According to foreign media reports, Tesla is studying its own methods of
producing batteries, according to five employees. It has a secret laboratory and
is developing its own battery technology in an effort to reduce its dependence
on Panasonic.
Tesla has relied on Panasonic for battery production since the two
companies signed a broad cooperation agreement in 2014.
The move could help Tesla offer cheaper, higher-performance electric
vehicles than it does now without having to pay outside suppliers or partners or
share data and resources with them. Batteries are a major component of the cost
of electric vehicles, according to market research firm IHS Markit.
CEO Elon Musk acknowledged at the company's annual shareholder meeting in
early June that the company has been "battery constrained" in the past. This
means that battery shortages limit the production and sales of Tesla's electric
vehicles and energy storage systems (Powerwall and PowerPack).
Producing its own batteries would also fit in with Musk's overall goal of
making Tesla as "vertically integrated" as possible, meaning developing,
manufacturing and selling everything it can do — even its own enterprise
software.
But producing batteries at high volumes will be another challenge for a
company that has recently implemented cost-cutting measures and is still trying
to perfect its high-volume car production.
Tesla and Panasonic did not respond to requests for comment.
secret laboratory
Tesla employees conduct some battery manufacturing research in the
company's "Skunkworks Lab" at the company's factory on Kato Road. The lab is
just minutes away from Tesla's car plant in Fremont, California.
The factory is where Tesla now builds its Model 3, Model S and Model
Employees on Tesla’s battery R&D team are now focused on designing and
manufacturing advanced lithium-ion batteries, as well as new production
equipment and processes that allow Tesla to Produce large quantities of
batteries.
Last month, Tesla announced the recruitment of multiple battery design,
battery production equipment and battery manufacturing process engineers.
Even if Tesla starts producing its own batteries as hoped, the company is
unlikely to cut ties with Panasonic and other battery suppliers anytime
soon.
Tesla employees familiar with battery supplier negotiations said the
company is most likely to work with Panasonic and LG to provide batteries for
the initial Model 3 cars produced at its Shanghai Gigafactory. The factory may
begin production in late 2019, with mass production beginning in 2020.
Tesla's goal of producing at least some of its own battery cells has been
widely discussed among Tesla employees and fans.
At the company's annual shareholder meeting in June, Musk invited Chief
Technology Officer JB Straubel and Vice President of Technology Drew Baglino to
introduce Tesla's batteries to shareholders on stage. related measures.
Musk encouraged outside investors to focus on two strategic issues at
Tesla: how quickly the company can deliver fully self-driving cars, and the
company's plans to "scale up battery production and lower costs per kilowatt
hour." He said Tesla is not yet ready to "disclose relevant information" and
will disclose more details before the end of 2019, including the completion of
the acquisition of Maxwell Technology in May this year.
"It's now more obvious than I thought that we need a solution for mass
production of batteries," said Straubel, Tesla's chief technology officer.
Baglino added: "We cannot stand idly by. We are taking all necessary
actions to take control of our own destiny, whether technologically or
otherwise. I think that through the experience gained through many years of
working with partners, we are finally will be able to come up with solutions to
address this issue.”
tense relationship
Currently, there are reports of tension between Tesla and Panasonic.
In January this year, Panasonic and Toyota reached a cooperation agreement
to cooperate in the production of car batteries through a joint venture
controlled by Toyota. In early April, Panasonic said it would temporarily freeze
investment in Tesla's Gigafactory.
A few days later, Musk accused Panasonic of slowing down Model 3
production, saying that at the Gigafactory they jointly own, Panasonic's
production lines were producing only two-thirds of its capacity (i.e. 24GWh).
Musk wrote on the microblogging website Twitter: "Tesla will not invest new
funds to expand production capacity until the existing production line is close
to the theoretical output of 35GWh."
Panasonic has hired several former Tesla employees, including technicians,
supervisors, and process and systems engineers, at its Gigafactory in Nevada in
recent weeks, following Tesla's layoffs and other cost cuts.
A former Tesla human resources employee who asked not to be named said that
a few years ago, jumping from Tesla to Panasonic was not as common as it is now.
Compensation, training regimes and clearer work policies, especially on how
vacation time is earned and earned, have helped lure Tesla employees to its
Japanese partner Panasonic Corp, the person said.
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