Report: Tesla Operating Secret Battery Research Lab

Tesla is operating a secret research and development facility where it aims to build its own battery cells, according to a report from CNBC.

The electric vehicle maker currently relies on Panasonic to produce cells, but Tesla likely hopes to lower the development cost and increase the performance of the battery packs used in its cars, since they are among the most important and most costly components.

CNBC said it conducted interviews with five current and recent employees to confirm the story. Tesla and Panasonic did not comment.

Chief Executive Elon Musk has said that battery production is currently a pain for the company and has slowed rollout of both vehicles and Tesla Energy products like Powerwall.

Tesla battery cell research is being conducted in a lab at the company’s Kato Road facility near its car plant in Fremont, California, the report said.

“Employees in Tesla’s battery R&D teams are now focused on designing and prototyping advanced lithium ion battery cells, as well as new equipment and processes that could allow Tesla to produce cells in high volumes,” CNBC reported.

 

[mikerwalsh]

Must be a slow news day. I would have been shocked if Tesla wasn't doing battery research.

 

[wipster]

Why are all the articles posted shown after the main article from mid-2018? Why aren't they some of the newer articles that apply to the topic of this article?

 

[Brando]

Usual anonymous sources. Now where did I put that grain of salt?

side notes: Dr. Jeff Dahl & Tesla
Tesla battery lifetime doubles!

Tesla battery researcher says they doubled lifetime of batteries in Tesla's products 4 years ahead of time [Updated] - Electrek

Jeff Dahn Research Group

Research

Dahn Lab Begins 5-year Tesla Partnership June 8, 2016

NSERC, Dalhousie University and Tesla Motors have established the NSERC/Tesla Canada Industrial Research Chair that Jeff Dahn will hold from June 8, 2016 to June 7, 2021. It is possible that the Chair will be renewed in 2021. The goals of the Chair are to develop lithium ion batteries with longer lifetime, higher energy density and lower cost. As Dahn says, "Our goal is to do something useful, not publish papers in Nature and similar journals".

When you are the world largest user of Lithium Ion batteries AND you build the world's largest battery factory with Panasonic: GigaFactory 1; and in one year (sorry, forget which exact year - anyone?) you make close to 1/2 of the world's supply of Li-Ion batteries and your cars cost is 1/2 to 1/3 battery pack. You work hard at battery technology.

Exception would be Bob Lutz/GM, then you would stop the project and crush the unused batteries, right?

side note: Maxwell purchase was at least in a small part about battery technologies. </sarcasm>

To review how worthless most press coverage of Tesla actually is, check out:
Search for "tesla press coverage" | CleanTechnica

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