Elon Musk fears that a shortage of battery cells will arise in 2022 if Tesla does not take action itself, the outspoken CEO writes on Twitter. According to Musk, suppliers cannot keep up with the pace at which Tesla is currently growing.
Tesla is expected to reveal something later today on ‘Battery Day’, but Musk is tempering expectations and argues that the technology that will be revealed is mainly focused on the long term. According to the CEO, suppliers such as Panasonic, LG and CATL cannot keep up with the pace at which Tesla is growing. Musk writes on Twitter that he does not want to reduce the purchase of battery cells from external parties, but only wants to increase it further. He states that this means that a ‘significant shortage’ is expected after 2022. “Despite our suppliers running at maximum speed, we still foresee a shortage for 2022 and beyond if we don’t take action ourselves,” said Musk. What he exactly means by that is not yet entirely clear, but the revelation is likely to play a role in this. Tesla is currently growing rapidly. Musk aims to set a delivery record of 500,000 cars this six months, a goal for which he has urged his staff to work even harder. Tesla’s position as the market leader in EVs is under increasing pressure, now that the established order has also gained momentum with the roll-out of electric models.
Today Tesla is organizing the event ‘Battery Day’, at which the manufacturer is likely to unveil a new battery technology. Musk is trying to dampen expectations on Twitter, however. He writes that the revelation mainly concerns the long-term production of the Roadster, Cybertruck and Semi. According to Musk, the technology to be disclosed will not be able to be mass-produced until 2022. According to him, scaling up the production of new technology is extremely complicated. “The machine that makes the machine is much more difficult than the machine itself,” says Musk. Prior to Battery Day, Tesla’s stock price rose gradually, but Musk’s tweets have pushed the stock market value down over 4.5% again. Later today, Tesla will definitely unveil its plans for the future.