The Gold Report: Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA:NASDAQ) is planning to build a $5-billion "Gigafactory" in the southwestern U.S. that would produce batteries for its high-end electric cars. You seem excited about it. Tell investors why they should be.
Simon Moores: This one plant would essentially double the world's output of electric vehicle (EV) batteries. That's 500,000 batteries a year at capacity. The idea is to drive down the cost of EV batteries by 30% or more. Tesla is focusing on the supply chain to build the lowest-cost batteries possible. If it can make the cost of its cars much cheaper, it should spark mass uptake of electric vehicles. It's a plan to turn the world electric, in a sense, and Tesla begins in 2017 with the Gigafactory and the launch of its third generation and first mass-market model.
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TGR: Would Tesla be building batteries solely for Tesla or would it be leasing its technology to other vehicle manufacturers? Continue reading "Tesla Gigafactory Could Be Boon for Graphite, Lithium, Cobalt: Simon Moores"
