Tesla is seeking the Chinese government’s approval to manufacture Model 3 vehicles in the country fitted with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries this is revealed by a document on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in China, which was accessed by Reuters.
They had been in advanced talks to use LFP batteries from CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd) in cars made at its China plant. These batteries do not contain cobalt which is one of the most expensive metals in electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
The available document does not reveal the name of the battery manufacturer. Tesla is manufacturing Model 3 electric cars at its factory in Shanghai. It has been using EV batteries from Panasonic Corp and LG Chem, which CATL would start supplying to Tesla starting July.
However, with a global fleet of more than 1 million electric vehicles that are capable of connecting to and sharing power with the grid, Tesla’s ultimate goal is to achieve the status of a power company, competing with such traditional energy providers as Pacific Gas & Electric and Tokyo Electric Power, those sources said.
Reference- Reuters News Agency, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China website, Electrek