Shenzhen-based Gotion High-Tech said this week that it has agreed to deliver 200 GWh of lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries to a major publicly traded US automaker between 2023 and 2028.
Gotion would not name its US customer, but said it is a significant publicly listed automotive firm with a high market capitalization and a global ranking. It did state that its US subsidiary had no dealings with the customer between 2018–2020.
Despite the absence of specifics, the customer is assumed to be Tesla. Why? According to the company statement, the LFP batteries will be utilized in electric vehicles and other applications in the US and globally.
That “other applications” part is what has tongues wagging. Tesla is heavily involved in grid-scale battery storage, and while traditional lithium-ion battery cells have been the choice for most of those “big batteries,” things are changing with more players opting for LFP batteries.
More LFP batteries are expected from BYD. Tesla has already agreed to acquire 45 GWh of LFP batteries from CATL. If true, Gotion would be Tesla’s third LRP supplier.
Initially, Gotion batteries will be made in China, but the two companies hope to establish a joint venture in the US to produce and supply LFP batteries. The China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance ranks Gotion as China’s fourth largest battery producer. CATL leads the market with 55%, followed by BYD (16.6%) and CALB (5.2%).
Reference- Electrive, CnEVPost, Clean Technica, PR Newswire,