Battery suppliers for the China-made Model Y have been confirmed, with China's largest automotive lithium-ion battery maker CATL out and South Korea's LG Chem selected, according to kkj.cn.
According to the report, LG Chem has signed an agreement with Tesla to supply power batteries for the China-made Tesla Model Y, which is expected to be mass-produced at the Shanghai factory in early 2021.
Currently, battery suppliers for the China-made Model 3 include both CATL and LG Chem.
The lithium iron phosphate batteries provided by CATL are used in the entry-level models of the China-made Model 3. LG Chem's lithium-ion ternary battery is used in the long-range, high-performance model.
China-made Tesla Model Y has completed regulatory filing, using ternary batteries
The Model Y will be equipped with twin electric motors with an output of 137 and 180 kW respectively; as for the battery pack, it will be equipped with a lithium-ion ternary battery provided by LG Chem.
Tesla's Chinese website currently offers two Model Y models for customers to reserve, the long-range all-wheel-drive version, and the performance version, with pre-sale prices of RMB 488,000 and RMB 535,000.
For comparison, the starting price of the long-range FWD Model Y that has already been delivered in the US is $43,690 (about RMB 288,000) after subsidies, which is only about RMB 38,000 higher than the starting price of the China-made Model 3.
Elon does not want to give revenue to CATL which partnered with NIO Power in Wuhan Battery Asset management company is my guess. When will Chinese authorities require swap configuration as a national policy and standard?