According to our sources, Tesla Model 3 from Gigafactory Shanghai will soon to use cobalt-free lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. The announcement will happen as early as tomorrow October 1st 2020.
On February 3 2020, CATL announced that it had signed a two-year supply agreement with Tesla, valid from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2022. At the end of May, Tesla asked the Chinese government to authorize the production of Model 3, made in a country equipped with LFP batteries.
On June 11, it became known that Tesla has received state approval for the production of made-in-China Model 3s equipped with LFP batteries, according to a document on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The name of the battery manufacturer is not indicated in the document.
As we all know, LFP batteries are cheaper to make and contain no cobalt, one of the most expensive metals used in electric vehicle batteries. A leak info from our good friend Kelvin Yang shows that the LFP standard range Model 3 from Giga Shanghai will price at around 250,000 RMB or $36,719.34 USD, long range LFP battery Model 3 at around 310,000 RMB or $45,531.99
Leak: LFP SR Model 3 ¥250k. LR ¥310k. NMC SR discontinued. 🇨🇳
— Kelvin Yang (@KelvinYang7) September 30, 2020
In August 2020, Tesla sold over 11,000 units of the China-made Model 3 in China, the world’s biggest car market.
