China Clears The Way For Tesla To Use New, Less Expensive Batteries

Tesla has officially secured approval to produce and sell a new Model 3 with cheaper lithium iron phosphate batteries in China.

Early on, Tesla adopted its own version of the energy-dense NCA battery cell for its electric vehicles, which went against most of the industry who uses NCM cells.

There have been reports stating that Tesla is switching to NCM battery cells for its Chinese Model 3 vehicles built at Gigafactory Shanghai.

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USNA1999 - 6/11/2020 3:01:10 PM

+2 Boost

That is great news if Tesla can get the same performance and reliability at a much cheaper price. That $35K entry price will most likely become a reality without the "potential savings" BS. This will make a dent on the top of the line Accords and Camrys sales.

SanJoseDriver - 6/12/2020 5:59:46 PM

+1 Boost

Right now they are at $37k with a 250 mile range in the US and a 5.3s 0-60. They could definitely bring it down to $35k if needed with the alternate batteries. FYI, the original proposed $35k car had 215 miles of range at a 5.9s 0-60 and several standard features such as Autopilot and the pano roof were not part of the deal. If they can sell the current $37k model for $35k it would be an insane value.