Jan 4 (Reuters)-
Electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors has begun mass production of lithium
The company said Wednesday that the ion battery was at a gigabit plant in Nevada with Japanese Panasonic.
The cylindrical \"2170 battery\" that will be used to power Tesla\'s energy storage products and the new Model 3 sedan is jointly designed by Tesla and its long-term battery partner Panasonic.
Tesla said the Geely plant will initially produce batteries for the company\'s Powerwall 2 and Powerpack 2 energy products.
Production of Tesla\'s first mass production battery-
The market car for Model 3 is expected to start selling in the second quarter.
The company says the Geely plant will produce 35 gigawatts-
Hours of lithium per year
Ion batteries by 2018.
Tesla said that during the peak production period, Geely\'s factory is expected to employ 6,500 workers and create 20,000 to 30,000 jobs in the surrounding areas. (
Reports from Bengalit Ajmera in Bangalore;
Edited by Chakrabarty Saumyadeb)