Panasonic Shows Their First Li-Ion EV Battery to TESLA
April 29, 2010Jonny No Comments »
Recently, Panasonic’s Company President Naoto Noguchi met up with Tesla Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel to present the first batch of li-ion cells produced at Panasonic’s new facility. Just last January, the two big automotive figures agreed to team up to develop this next generation EV battery cells. Tesla consented to using Panasonic cells for their newest battery packs.
These cells, according to Panasonic, features a Nickel based Lithium ion chemistry. Straubel also stated that with these “cutting edge Panasonic batteries”, Tesla’s battery pack technology will provide the highest density battery packs for electric vehicles in the world.
Straubel also announced that Tesla will be delivering the Tesla Roadsters to select consumers in Japan. This will be the company’s first Asian delivery. Tesla already distributed 1,000 Roadsters to their customers in North America and Europe. The Panasonic-Tesla battery packs will be powering these green car-Roadsters. In addition to this, Tesla is also working on the production of battery packs for Daimler Smart EVs.
The company is also reportedly working on battery development programs for other vehicle and stationary customers. Panasonic and Tesla are reportedly “deepening their relationship” in their joint efforts to optimize electric vehicle cells. This was initially announced in a Panasonic factory visit by Straubel last January.
Panasonic previously announced its development of two new high capacity lithium-ion batteries late December last year. These are 3.4 ah and 4.0 ah lithium-ion cells with an optimized nickel based positive electrode. These inspired the cells produced by Panasonic for Tesla, with some alterations to fit the latter’s battery pack. To date, Panasonic is considered the largest producer of lithium-ion batteries. I can’t wait to rent a Tesla Roadster asap!
Tags: Electic Cars, EV, Panasonic, Tesla Motors
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