Tesla has confirmed that it started production of the new Model 3 battery cell at Gigafactory 1 in Nevada over the weekend – an important step toward launching the production of the Model 3.
The new battery cells are believed to be key to Tesla achieving the necessary cost reductions that enable the Model 3’s $35,000 starting price tag before incentive.
Tesla’s new 2170 format battery cells went into production back in January, but those cells were using Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC) chemistry for stationary energy storage products, Tesla’s Powerwall and Powerpack.
But for its vehicle battery packs, Tesla has been using Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (NCA) chemistry optimized to cycle in electric vehicles. While the company confirmed that they would still be using different batteries for their vehicles, they didn’t confirm if it would still be a NCA chemistry.
Nonetheless, Tesla said that it aimed to start the production of those vehicle cells during the second quarter and Tesla’s co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, JB Straubel, confirmed this weekend that the production of the cells has started at Gigafactory 1.
Submitted June 19, 2017 at 09:45AM by Steve_Johns http://ift.tt/2ss5SG8
