Tesla may be making its own battery cells for its electric vehicles in the near future. Or at least, this is a rumor that has been circulating around for months now.
Dubbed the Roadrunner project, Tesla's "secret project" is supposedly working on a "machine that builds the machine" strategy that would produce battery cells on a major scale.
SEE ALSO: NEXT-GEN TESLA ROADSTER SET TO EXCEED "INSANE" PROTOTYPE
Cheaper battery cells on a massive scale
The price target for batteries to be able to allow electric vehicles to achieve price parity with gasoline cars without any subsidies is priced at $100 per kWh.
This is big. Really big https://t.co/krmpkSnwHm
— NinjaTeched (@NinjaTeched) February 27, 2020
If achieved, this number combined with mass production would open the doors to massive production numbers of affordable and high-margin EVs.
Tesla has already partnered with Panasonic, which has led to an industry-leading battery cost, but now it looks like the automaker is reaching even further in order to create its very own battery cells.
New @Tesla 'Roadrunner' batteries to enable Roadster to go 620 miles per charge? https://t.co/jzyzET4fih via @insideevs.com
— InsideEVs (@InsideEVs) February 27, 2020
The rumors have stemmed from a number of Tesla-oriented matters in the past few months. For instance, Electrek previously reported that there were job postings at Tesla that fell under a new "product line" for cell manufacturing.
Furthermore, Tesla acquired Maxwell, a supercapacitor manufacturer with some battery cell technology.
Then, earlier this month Electrek again shared some Tesla-related news. The publication stated that Tesla was building a battery cell pilot production line in Fremont, U.S.
Now, sources have reportedly told Electrek that the project is called "Roadrunner" and that its aim is to create mass production of a new battery cell that will ultimately be more affordable, and energy-dense.
You'll have to wait until Battery Day in April to find out, though, as this is when Tesla is rumored to share its battery-related developments.
The road to efficient battery technology for BEVs involves three major dimensions of progress
- improved chemistry
- improved packaging design
- improved manufacturing processes
We can expect several generations of progress over the next few years
— JPR007 (@jpr007) February 26, 2020
https://t.co/NO5t9xEcVp
