The cylindrical 2170 cell, designed and engineered by Tesla and Panasonic, is intended to offer the best performance at the lowest production cost in an optimal form factor for both applications.
Production is taking place at the so called ‘gigafactory’ in Nevada. Although only 30% complete, the structure currently has a footprint of 1.9million ft2 and is expected to be the biggest building in the world when finished.
The first batteries being manufactured will be used in Tesla’s Powerwall 2 and Powerpack 2 energy products, while cells for the Model 3 will enter production in Q2. According to the partners, the Gigafactory will produce 35GWh/year of lithium-ion battery cells in 2018, nearly as much as the rest of the entire world’s battery production.
