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Tesla battery partnership becomes Panasonic’s silver lining amid operating profit drop
The coronavirus pandemic has not been kind to multiple companies across the globe, and Panasonic has been one of its victims. The Japanese consumer electronics giant is no stranger to the effects of the virus, with the company posting a 29% drop in its annual operating profit. Yet despite these results, one aspect of Panasonic’s business proved to be a silver lining, logging a second straight quarterly profit despite the pandemic.
This aspect of Panasonic’s business was its battery partnership with American electric car maker Tesla. When it posted its most recent results on Monday, Panasonic stated that its battery venture with Tesla in Gigafactory Nevada had been profitable from January to March 2020. The Japanese firm did not provide further details, but its results were telling, and it hinted at the resilience of consumer demand for Tesla’s products.
Panasonic’s production over the recent months was walloped by the coronavirus, with the outbreak forcing the company to close several of its plants across the globe. This was a massive blow to Panasonic, especially as the pandemic disrupted supply chains for components used in devices such as laptops, washing machines, factory equipment, and even automotive components.
The coronavirus disrupted the world’s supply chain at a time when Panasonic was struggling to find new ways to grow, considering that its strategic shift to components from consumer electronics has not driven as much profit growth as expected. Over January to March for example, Panasonic’s automotive business sank deeper into a loss.
Thanks to its battery partnership with Tesla, though, Panasonic’s recent report was not entirely negative. The Japanese firm may not have disclosed exactly how much profit it made with its partnership with Tesla, but it goes a long way into proving that the electric car maker and its battery-powered products can buck the trend in an otherwise challenging market. This is especially true since Panasonic has taken a rather conservative stance with its Tesla partnership.
The company, for one, has exited solar cell production in Gigafactory New York, Tesla’s facility that’s primarily tasked with producing energy products. Panasonic has also been unable to secure an exclusive battery partnership with Tesla when the electric car maker opened Gigafactory Shanghai. Instead of Panasonic, Tesla has entered into a partnership with South Korean firm LG Chem, as well as China-based CATL, which is reportedly poised to release a million-mile battery for the electric car maker.
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Armored Tesla Cybertruck “War Machine” debuts at Defense Expo 2025
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Tesla Megapacks chosen for 548 MWh energy storage project in Japan
Tesla plans to supply over 100 Megapack units to support a large stationary storage project in Japan, making it one of the country’s largest energy storage facilities.
Tesla’s Megapack grid-scale batteries have been selected to back an energy storage project in Japan, coming as the latest of the company’s continued deployment of the hardware.
As detailed in a report from Nikkei this week, Tesla plans to supply 142 Megapack units to support a 548 MWh storage project in Japan, set to become one of the country’s largest energy storage facilities. The project is being overseen by financial firm Orix, and it will be located at a facility Maibara in central Japan’s Shiga prefecture, and it aims to come online in early 2027.
The deal is just the latest of several Megapack deployments over the past few years, as the company continues to ramp production of the units. Tesla currently produces the Megapack at a facility in Lathrop, California, though the company also recently completed construction on its second so-called “Megafactory” in Shanghai China and is expected to begin production in the coming weeks.
READ MORE ON TESLA MEGAPACKS: Tesla Megapacks help power battery supplier Panasonic’s Kyoto test site
Tesla’s production of the Megapack has been ramping up at the Lathrop facility since initially opening in 2022, and both this site and the Shanghai Megafactory are aiming to eventually reach a volume production of 10,000 Megapack units per year. The company surpassed its 10,000th Megapack unit produced at Lathrop in November.
During Tesla’s Q4 earnings call last week, CEO Elon Musk also said that the company is looking to construct a third Megafactory, though he did not disclose where.
Last year, Tesla Energy also had record deployments of its Megapack and Powerwall home batteries with a total of 31.4 GWh of energy products deployed for a 114-percent increase from 2023.
Other recently deployed or announced Megapack projects include a massive 600 MW/1,600 MWh facility in Melbourne, a 75 MW/300 MWh energy storage site in Belgium, and a 228 MW/912 MWh storage project in Chile, along with many others still.
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
Tesla highlights the Megapack site replacing Hawaii’s last coal plant
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Elon Musk responds to Ontario canceling $100M Starlink deal amid tariff drama
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said, opens new tab on February 3 that he was “ripping up” his province’s CA$100 million agreement with Starlink in response to the U.S. imposing tariffs on Canadian goods.
Elon Musk company SpaceX is set to lose a $100 million deal with the Canadian province of Ontario following a response to the Trump administration’s decision to apply 25 percent tariffs to the country.
Starlink, a satellite-based internet service launched by the Musk entity SpaceX, will lose a $100 million deal it had with Ontario, Premier Doug Ford announced today.
Starting today and until U.S. tariffs are removed, Ontario is banning American companies from provincial contracts.
Every year, the Ontario government and its agencies spend $30 billion on procurement, alongside our $200 billion plan to build Ontario. U.S.-based businesses will…
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) February 3, 2025
Ford said on X today that Ontario is banning American companies from provincial contracts:
“We’ll be ripping up the province’s contract with Starlink. Ontario won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy. Canada didn’t start this fight with the U.S., but you better believe we’re ready to win it.”
It is a blow to the citizens of the province more than anything, as the Starlink internet constellation has provided people in rural areas across the globe stable and reliable access for several years.
Musk responded in simple terms, stating, “Oh well.”
Oh well https://t.co/1jpMu55T6s
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2025
It seems Musk is less than enthused about the fact that Starlink is being eliminated from the province, but it does not seem like all that big of a blow either.
As previously mentioned, this impacts citizens more than Starlink itself, which has established itself as a main player in reliable internet access. Starlink has signed several contracts with various airlines and maritime companies.
It is also expanding to new territories across the globe on an almost daily basis.
With Mexico already working to avoid the tariff situation with the United States, it will be interesting to see if Canada does the same.
The two have shared a pleasant relationship, but President Trump is putting his foot down in terms of what comes across the border, which could impact Americans in the short term.
Armored Tesla Cybertruck “War Machine” debuts at Defense Expo 2025
Tesla Megapacks chosen for 548 MWh energy storage project in Japan
