During a period when the world’s largest battery companies are developing rapidly, Panasonic’s battery business seems to be at a standstill. Its customers are still limited to a few car companies such as Tesla and Toyota, so it is extremely vulnerable to these two influence of major customers.
Panasonic Energy Chief Technology Officer Shoichiro Watanabe said in an interview with Bloomberg that an improved version of its 2170 battery with increased battery capacity will begin production at a manufacturing plant in Nevada, USA, in 2024 or 2025.
He said Panasonic can fulfill its promise to quadruple production capacity by fiscal 2030 without relying entirely on new factories or large investments.
Official Statement
“We will expand battery capacity while improving productivity.” Shoichiro Watanabe said that Panasonic has been working hard to increase the energy density of 2170 batteries because this will help reduce the overall cost of electric vehicles. during a period when the world’s largest battery companies are developing rapidly, Panasonic’s battery business seems to be at a standstill. Its customers are still limited to a few car companies such as Tesla and Toyota, so it is extremely vulnerable to these two influence of major customers.
Panasonic Energy Chief Technology Officer Shoichiro Watanabe said in an interview with Bloomberg that an improved version of its 2170 battery with increased battery capacity will begin production at a manufacturing plant in Nevada, USA, in 2024 or 2025.
He said Panasonic can fulfill its promise to quadruple production capacity by fiscal 2030 without relying entirely on new factories or large investments.
“We will expand battery capacity while improving productivity.” Shoichiro Watanabe said that Panasonic has been working hard to increase the energy density of 2170 batteries because this will help reduce the overall cost of electric vehicles.
Panasonic said last year it was cutting its operating profit forecast for the fiscal year ending in April 2024 by 15% for its energy unit, which makes batteries for Tesla and other automakers, as demand for high-end electric vehicles is slowing in North America. , reduced from the previous 135 billion yen to 115 billion yen.
Panasonic Energy Chief Technology Officer Shoichiro Watanabe also said that Panasonic Energy will need to build about four new factories by fiscal 2030 to meet the growing demand for electric vehicle batteries. Panasonic Energy currently supplies batteries mainly to U.S. electric vehicle Tesla and is also in talks with Mazda. Panasonic expects to quadruple its automotive battery production capacity by fiscal 2030 from fiscal 2022, reaching 200GWh.
