With the increase in tram production capacity, Tesla is expanding its battery supply channels.
According to foreign media reports, Tesla has reached a purchase agreement with LG, and the future domestic version of Model 3 will use the NCM811 battery supplied by LG Chem in Nanjing Xingang Development Zone.
This time, LG provides NCM 811 battery, compared with ordinary lithium battery, both cost and energy density have been greatly improved, which is also the mainstream battery manufacturers outside LG, such as South Korea SK Innovation, Ningde The focus of the era research.
This collaboration has made Tesla and Panasonic’s relationship worse than before.
Before Tesla came to China, Panasonic had always been Tesla’s only supplier of automotive-grade batteries. In 2014, the two sides signed an agreement to establish a joint venture, and Panasonic was still in Super. There are related battery production lines in the factory.
According to the data of 2018, Tesla’s installed capacity also accounts for about 80% of Panasonic’s total installed capacity. Under the pull of Tesla, Panasonic has occupied 40% of the passenger car lithium battery market. .
However, with the accelerated production of Tesla Model 3, especially after Tesla came to China to build a factory, the annual production capacity of the Chinese market alone will reach 150,000 units, and Panasonic production is under pressure. There was a difference at the beginning.
In April of this year, Musk directly publicized “Blasting” Panasonic on Twitter. Slowing down plant operations is the main culprit in limiting Model 3 capacity.
The vacancy of Panasonic, there are many battery factories that want to make up, Tesla has also contacted different battery manufacturers, and there have been many anecdotes.
Last year, Musk has generously admitted that “the battery is likely to come from several companies including Panasonic.” According to Korean media reports, in October last year, Tesla executives and Samsung SDI and LG two Battery manufacturers met and signed a $33 million contract with Samsung SDI in December.
In January of this year, there were rumors that Tesla’s domestic Model 3 battery partner was Tianjin Lishen, but Tesla subsequently denied it. By the beginning of July, there was also news that Tesla will jointly produce batteries with Shanghai Huayi Group.
China has become the largest automotive consumer market. On the one hand, many battery manufacturers have developed batteries with better performance in addition to increasing battery density, and on the other hand, they have continued to expand production capacity in China. LG’s plant in Xingang already has mass production capacity, and its second plant in Binjiang, Nanjing, is about to go into production. In addition, LG Chem has announced a joint venture with Geely Automobile to produce and supply power batteries.