Electrek is reporting that Tesla Motors recently took delivery of large quantities of battery cells from Samsung SDI, following which shares of the latter firm rose sharply while the price of Panasonic's shares fell. Samsung SDI declined to confirm whether a deal with Tesla is underway.
A bill of landing confirms that 120 tons of Samsung SDI 18650 battery cells were delivered to Tesla Motors recently. The electric car company currently has a long-term partnership with Panasonic and deal with LG Chem for its Roadster 3.0 upgrade batteries. However, the company might be trying to diversify its supply chain, similar to most big automobile manufacturers.
Samsung is currently working with various car brands including Audi and SEAT. The South Korean tech giant has also created a task force to develop chips for self-driving cars and is establishing partnerships with German automakers to improve its position in the smart car market. Moreover, the company is also modifying its own race track to test autonomous cars.
