Panasonic to accelerate Gigafactory battery production
As previously reported, currently Panasonic is Tesla’s sole battery cell provider for its electric vehicles, and a partner in the automaker’s massive Gigafactory battery production plant, currently under construction in Nevada. Originally, battery production was expected to begin at the factory in early 2017, however new reports suggest this timeline may have been brought forward, meaning Panasonic could start battery cell production there as early as this November. The reason for this production acceleration is likely due to the higher than expected number of pre-orders for the forthcoming Tesla Model 3, (currently standing at around 400,000 units). With Model 3 production scheduled to start in the second half of next year, it makes sense that battery production will have to start soon, and according to a Panasonic executive, the electronics firm “would like to avoid delays in auto production caused by an insufficient battery supply”. Whether this will require Panasonic to up its Gigafactory investment from the current estimate of $1.6bn remains to be seen.

OSAKA -- Panasonic will begin mass-producing components for electric-car batteries ahead of schedule at an American factory it is building with Tesla Motors, responding to brisk demand for a forthcoming sedan from the U.S. automaker.

The duo had initially said the lithium-ion-battery plant in the state of Nevada would be up and running sometime in fiscal 2016 -- a time frame taken to mean early 2017. The plant is now set to open this July, with power cell production to begin in November. Tesla is thought to have called on Panasonic to compress its timeline after receiving a large number of preorders for the Model 3 sedan, due out next year.