Panasonic, which together with Tesla is developing Gigafactory 1 in Nevada, was forced to admit that at this stage, the release of 2170 battery cells for the new Tesla Model 3 brings only loss, and it will not be possible to reach payback next year. Tesla itself admitted today that the production of ready-made electric cars Tesla Model 3 at the operational level will break even by the end of 2017.
Tesla Model 3 is assembled at an enterprise in Fremont, California. Ilon Mask (Elon Musk) admitted that an increase in the volume of release of Tesla Model 3 will require some production changes. Answering the analyst's question, he explained that the transfer of the assembly of traction batteries for the Tesla Model S and Model X from California to Nevada, if it will, then only after increasing the volume of release of the Tesla Model 3 to ten thousand electric vehicles a week. And it will happen not earlier than next year, as it was noted in the quarterly report. In Fremont, you will have to vacate the space for equipment for the Tesla Model 3, and the assembly of traction batteries for the other two electric vehicles will be moved to Nevada.
Representatives of Tesla further explained that the Model S and Model X use 18650 cells that come from abroad and only assemble into battery packs in California. And more modern cells 2170 for Tesla Model 3 company together with Panasonic produces in Nevada.
The leadership of Tesla ironically responded to the news about Toyota's intentions to supply the prospective model of the electric vehicle with solid-state electrolyte-based batteries, which will be charged very quickly. As the largest buyer of lithium-ion batteries in the world, Tesla is still skeptical about the possibility of soon replacing this technology with something more progressive. From applications to mass production can pass many years, and Toyota with its "invention" is at the very beginning of this path. However, by the end of his comments on this issue Ilon Mask softened a bit, and said that if someone offers Tesla a more progressive technology of battery production, he will be only happy about it.
Tesla admitted that it sees no special problems with the service in the context of the forthcoming increase in the volume of production of electric vehicles Model 3. Up to 80% of all service operations performed at branded service stations are carried out without the use of lifting mechanisms. In this sense, Tesla considers it more convenient to mobile customer service of mobile cars, when the service employees serve an electric car where it is convenient for the owner of the car. I