Panasonic Energy and Mazda have entered into discussions regarding a medium- to long-term partnership for lithium-ion battery cell supply.
The discussions include Panasonic Energy supplying Mazda with automotive cylindrical lithium-ion batteries made in the battery supply plants in Japan and North America. Mazda plans to install Panasonic’s cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells into electric vehicles (EVs) scheduled to launch by the end of the 2020 decade.
“As part of our electrification initiatives, Mazda is working with its partners in three phases to flexibly respond to changes in regulatory trends, consumer needs, and other areas,” said Masahiro Moro, Mazda’s Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Panasonic Energy, which has been a pioneer in automotive lithium-ion batteries, developing high-quality products. We will keep contributing to curbing global warming through various initiatives, including our electrification strategy,” Moro added.
As of this writing, Panasonic has one operational battery factory in North America: Tesla Gigafactory Nevada. The Japanese battery supplier has a second battery plant under construction in Kansas, which is expected to manufacture 2170 cylindrical cells. Panasonic will supply batteries to Tesla from Giga Nevada and its new battery plant in Kansas.
Mazda’s potential battery supply deal with Panasonic might qualify its electric vehicles sold in the United States for EV incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Battery cell manufacturing and material sources account for a significant chunk of the IRA’s EV incentives of up to $7,500.
Mazda currently sells the 2023 MX-30 EV in the United States. The all-electric SUV’s price starts at $34,110. It has an estimated 100 miles of range, which may improve if Mazda strikes a battery supply deal with Panasonic.
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