New Panasonic Battery Factory to Provide 4680 Cells in USA

The Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) reports that battery producer Panasonic has decided to purchase land in the United States for a new factory; in addition to a production facility in Wakayama, Japan.

Panasonic has been a long-time partner of Tesla, making batteries for the car producer during its expansion. And while Tesla is making big moves to bring battery production in-house, they’re still in need of outside help. To that end, Panasonic is reportedly looking into building a multi-billion dollar battery plant in either Oklahoma or Kansas so as to be close to the new Texas Gigafactory.

This is hardly the first time the two companies have worked together. The two had previously collaborated on a factory at Giga Nevada, which supported Tesla’s growth in the last several years. While this new factory is a Panasonic solo endeavor, it’s a good sign that the battery producer is confident in the Tesla’s stability and future.

The output of this new plant will supplement 4680 battery cell production in the new Tesla factory in Texas, as well as the preexisting ones in California, hopefully lowering costs across the board. More batteries mean lower prices, as supply increases. And hopefully that will translate to greater accessibility, as cheaper vehicles are how we get more folks off fossil fuels quicker.