Tesla files for California building permit for factory to build battery production line
Tesla and other makers of electric vehicles are boosting battery production amid high demand and long wait times
Tesla has filed a permit application to build a new battery manufacturing line at its factory in Northern California amid high demand and long wait times for such products in the electric vehicle market.
The factory in Fremont is the only plant that produces all four Tesla electric vehicle models, Teslarati reported.
"New battery manufacturing equipment line on the 2nd floor of main assembly building," the filing states. "This permit application relates to the module portion of the line."
Tesla currently produces battery cells at its Giga, Nevada site and in Texas. The filing appears to signify that Tesla wants to expand battery production for its electric vehicles. The application doesn't indicate what type of battery cells the company would produce if approved.
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A view of Tesla Inc's U.S. vehicle factory in Fremont, California. The electric automaker has applied for a permit to build a battery manufacturing line at Fremont factory. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton / Reuters Photos)
The application has been assigned to the city's Community Development Technician in the Plans & Permits division of the Building and Safety Department for further review, the report said.
The company has also filed a permit related to building a new maintenance office, storage area, production cells and other equipment in Fremont as well.
Panasonic Holdings Corp., a supplier to Tesla, is in discussions to build an additional roughly $4 billion EV battery plant in the U.S., according to people familiar with the matter.
The Japanese company is looking at Oklahoma as the location for its new plant, though there are no guarantees that an agreement will be reached, the people said.
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EV makers including Tesla are boosting production volume and demanding more batteries from suppliers as they try to reduce long wait times for many popular EV models. Panasonic already jointly operates a battery factory in Nevada with Tesla.