(Credit: Tesla Motors)
It seems that when Panasonic President Fumio Ohtsubo said in December
that his company would invest $1 billion in green technologies for the
home, he may already have had a deal in the works for the garage.
Panasonic will be collaborating with Tesla Motors to develop
next-generation nickel-based lithium ion battery cells for electric
vehicles, both companies announced Thursday.
"Combining Tesla's rigorous cell testing and understanding of EV
requirements with Panasonic's cutting-edge battery technology will
result in custom cells optimized for use in EVs," JB Straubel, Tesla's
chief technology officer, said in a statement.
The deal should not be much of a surprise to those who follow these
two companies.
While Panasonic is probably most famous for its TVs, the company is
also a leading manufacturer of battery cells for electronics. In his
December conversation with Bloomberg, Ohtsubo said that Panasonic
planned to expand its interests in lithium ion batteries for cars, as
well as solar panels, smart appliances, and home energy monitoring
systems.
As for Tesla, it's long maintained that it would like to supply its
battery packs to other automakers, and last January made a deal to
provide Daimler with batteries for its Electric Smart EV.
Panasonic also announced Thursday that it's halfway through a 3-year
project to overhaul its lithium-ion battery cell research and
production facilities companywide, including a completely new plant
scheduled to open in Suminoe, Japan, in April. The company said the
entire overhaul represents about a $1 billion investment.
While Panasonic seems proud of its new turn into green tech, Tesla
seems eager to assure existing partners they still have a place as the
company expands. Tesla specifically announced that it will continue to
source cells for its battery packs from multiple suppliers, and that
the new Panasonic cell will be compatible with other cells and
components.