Panasonic: Tesla Model Y production will lead to battery shortages

Alarming statement from Panasonic. Its president acknowledged that the manufacturer's current production capacity is insufficient to meet Tesla's growing demand for lithium-ion cells. The problem will arise next year when Elon Musk's company starts selling Model Y.

A few weeks ago, Elon Musk officially acknowledged that the current major limitation in the production of Model 3 is the supplier of lithium-ion cells Panasonic. Despite the declared capacity of 35 GWh / year (2,9 GWh / month), the company managed to achieve about 23 GWh / year, i.e. 1,9 GWh cells per month.

Summing up the quarter, Panasonic CEO Kazuhiro Zuga admitted that the company has a problem and is working on a solution: cell capacity of 35 GWh per year is to be reached at the end of this year, 2019... However, that doesn't change the fact that when a Model 3-based Tesla Model Y hits the market, the battery may be drained (source).

For this reason, Panasonic wants to talk to Tesla in particular. on the launch of cell lines at Tesla Gigafactory 3 in China. The topic of "switching" existing factories producing 18650 cells for Model S and X to 2170 (21700) for Model 3 and Y. S and X can be expected to be discussed as well.

Tesla Model Y production is set to begin in China and the US in 2019, with development starting in 2020. The vehicle will not be available in Europe until 2021.

Pictured: Tesla Gigafactory 3 in China. Status as of early May 2019 (c) 烏瓦 / YouTube:

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