Photo: Panasonic
After a report showed Tesla supplier Panasonic’s plans to build a new electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Kansas, the manufacturer may also be looking at an additional plant in the U.S.
Panasonic is now looking to build another U.S. battery plant for around $4 billion, and Oklahoma seems to be the most-likely location for the new facility, according to sources familiar with the matter in a report from The Wall Street Journal.
The sources said the Oklahoma plant would be considered a “twin” to the nearby Kansas plant, and it’s expected to have a very similar capacity.
Panasonic to Start Mass Production of Tesla’s 4680 Battery Cells by March 2024 https://t.co/4xZvlOnGQ2
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) February 28, 2022
Currently, Panasonic helps run battery assembly lines at Tesla’s Gigafactory Nevada location. Earlier this month, Panasonic sent additional staff to the U.S. to increase Tesla’s battery production by around 10 percent.
Panasonic also said earlier this year it plans to increase the energy density of its batteries by around 20 percent by 2030, as detailed in a statement from Chief Technology Officer Shoichiro Watanabe.
In a separate statement, Panasonic also said it plans to invest $4.9 billion into EV batteries, supply chain software and other upgrades.
Panasonic is preparing to produce the next-gen 4680 battery cells for Tesla, and it recently sent a batch of samples to the automaker in the U.S.
