Shoichiro Watanabe, Panasonic's technical director for electric vehicle batteries, said that production of the updated version of the 2170 battery will begin at the Nevada plant in 2024 or 2025. It is in Nevada that the Gigafactory of Tesla, a long-time partner of Panasonic, is located.
The company also aims to quadruple its production capacity by fiscal 2030. Watanabe emphasised in an interview with The Japan Times that Panasonic can achieve this goal without having to build a new factory or invest heavily. Increasing the energy density of the 2170 cell is a key element in reducing the overall cost of an electric vehicle. Giga Nevada's 2170 cells are used in long-range versions of the US-made Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.
Decisions on the timing of battery production for next-generation electric vehicles at the Nevada plant must also be made in conjunction with Tesla.
Panasonic is currently building its second battery manufacturing plant in North America. The facility will be located in Kansas. In addition, the location of a third plant of this type is expected to be announced in March. Panasonic has committed to increasing its battery production capacity to 200 GWh by 2030, up from the current limit of 50 GWh.
Panasonic's chief technology officer said "thousands of employees" would be needed to operate the new facilities.
Although Panasonic does not make cars, it is one of the leading manufacturers of batteries for electric vehicles. In addition to Tesla, Panasonic's batteries are used by Mazda and Subaru.
Source: The Japan Times
