Tesla taps Asian partners to address 4680 battery concerns
CTV
It's crunch time at Tesla Inc., where Elon Musk is looking to crack the code for making better, cheaper batteries.
It's crunch time at Tesla Inc., where Elon Musk is looking to crack the code for making better, cheaper batteries.
The electric-vehicle maker is recruiting Chinese and Korean materials suppliers to help lower the cost and boost the energy of its newest battery cells, even as the company struggles with battery-related performance and production issues that have helped delay the launch of its futuristic Cybertruck, according to people familiar with the plans.
Tesla has tapped China's Ningbo Ronbay New Energy and Suzhou Dongshan Precision Manufacturing to help trim materials costs as it ramps up production of 4680 battery cells in the United States, according to the sources, who asked not to be named.
The details of these arrangements have not previously been reported.
If the Austin, Texas-based EV maker is able to work out the performance and process kinks and meet its ambitious production targets, the 4680 ultimately could be the linchpin - rather than choke point - in CEO Musk's dream of building 20 million vehicles annually by 2030.
Neither Tesla nor Musk could be reached for comment.
As part of its efforts, Tesla also has signed a deal with Korea's L&F Co. to supply high-nickel cathodes that could increase the energy density of its 4680 cells, one of the sources said.
