TESLA

Company is developing its own battery cells in secret, says CNBC

Yes, Tesla is developing its own battery cells in a secret lab, but it is unfortunately far from being a crazy extravaganza of Elon Musk in the middle of a Pacific island. According to a CNBC report on Wednesday (26), the truth about the location of the hidden project is far more disappointing: it lies in Fremont, Calif., Where one of the automaker's factories is set up.
At least, signaling that Tesla will develop its own batteries is interesting enough. That does not mean, however, that the news is not a little problematic - after all, how will the company's long-standing partnership with its current supplier, Panasonic? Of course, the choice to develop the batteries themselves is meant to cut costs, something that Tesla is desperate to do today. The company no longer wants to pay a partner who does it for her.
Today, Tesla vehicles use two types of battery cells. Models S and X use the old 18650 cells, by far the most used in the industry, while Model 3 (and soon Model Y) uses the 2170 cell, which is physically larger.
Taking all of Tesla's products to a single cell design would probably mean cost savings in and of itself, but the development of more energy-dense cells would allow the company to increase the autonomy of its cars. But at the moment, the focus is on getting vehicles to maintain their current yield with fewer cells in the battery. Autonews