We know that Samsung wants to increase its presence in the automotive market, and there’s no way Tesla can meet the insane demand for its vehicles without help, which is why it was easy to believe the report from Reuters on Tuesday that the two companies were partnering up. The report claimed that Samsung will be supplying Tesla with the batteries that power its vehicles and energy storage systems, but Elon Musk himself denied the report in a tweet shortly after, saying that Tesla was working exclusively with Panasonic in regards to supplying batteries. In retrospect, that should have been fairly obvious considering how Panasonic is helping fund Tesla’s massive Gigafactory.
Tesla Motors is working exclusively with Panasonic Corp to supply batteries for the Model 3, its first mass-market car, the U.S. automaker’s chief executive said on Wednesday, sending Panasonic shares higher. Reuters reported a day earlier a source with direct knowledge of the matter saying that Samsung SDI was making progress in talks with Tesla to supply batteries for the electric car, as well as Tesla’s energy storage systems. The source said Tesla, which currently buys batteries from Panasonic, was likely to add Samsung SDI as a supplier for Model 3 if and when Tesla’s battery plant were not able to produce enough batteries to meet demand. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted on Wednesday the company was “working exclusively with Panasonic for Model 3 cells.” In a response to Reuters’ inquires, a Tesla spokeswoman said on Tuesday by email that “Tesla works with all leading battery manufacturers around the world, however we don’t comment on the details of the programs with specific suppliers.” Panasonic said last month it was ready to bring forward its investment in Tesla’s battery plant it is helping establish if required to meet demand for Tesla’s first mass-market car. The Japanese company plans to contribute $1.6 billion to Tesla’s $5 billion “Gigafactory” in phases over the next few years.
