As demand for the Tesla Model 3 increases, Panasonic will increase the production of 2170 batteries in its super factory Gigafactory by more than 30% by the end of 2018.
It is reported that in order to increase production, Panasonic will add three lithium-ion battery production lines at Gigafactory, for a total of 13 production lines. This is necessary for Panasonic to support Tesla's demand for 5000 Model 3s per week. The new production line also has 30% more production capacity than Gigafactory's existing production line.
So far, Model 3 production has been a bottleneck and has caused Gigafactory's battery, module and packaging production to be restricted so as not to exceed the battery requirements for vehicles produced at Tesla's Fremont plant and Tesla Energy produced at Gigafactory. Powerwalls and Powerpacks.
However, Japanese media said that in order to meet the high demand rate of 5,000 Model 3 per week, "Panasonic was forced to respond, for example, to convert batteries such as household batteries into Model 3 batteries."
The new production line enables Panasonic to produce enough batteries to meet current Tesla Model 3 needs without disassembling any Tesla energy products. They gave Panasonic the ability to produce the full 35GWh battery it originally estimated to support the expected Tesla Model 3 production rate of 5,000 units per week.
Tesla initially estimated the total capacity of the Gigafactory to be 35 GWh, with a total investment of $ 5 billion. Although more detailed designs are expected, these estimates are expected to far exceed these in terms of production capacity and capital expenditures.
As a strategic partner of Gigafactory operations, Panasonic's share of investment is about 30%. In addition, Panasonic may also cooperate with Tesla again on Tesla Gigafactory3 in Shanghai, but this has yet to be confirmed. It is reported that Tesla is also negotiating with Germany and the Netherlands on its fourth Gigafactory plant, which will serve the European market.