潛在合作伙伴

????特斯拉還表示,，公司將選擇一家電池廠商，以及電池原料（如鋰,、鋰,、鎳、鈷,、和電解質(zhì)）供應(yīng)商進(jìn)行合作,。根據(jù)特斯拉的計(jì)劃，合作公司將共同承擔(dān)Gigafactory的成本,，而特斯拉自身將直接投資約20億美元,。

????特斯拉還沒(méi)有透露合作公司的名字。然而,，在公司第四季度業(yè)績(jī)發(fā)布會(huì)上,，CEO穆斯克曾經(jīng)提道，根據(jù)公司的設(shè)想,，可能會(huì)繼續(xù)選擇電池供應(yīng)商松下電器（Panasonic）作為合作伙伴,。

????松下電器（它同時(shí)還為特斯拉供應(yīng)汽車(chē)電子部件）發(fā)言人吉姆?賴(lài)?yán)f(shuō),，公司正在尋找各種方式以加強(qiáng)同特斯拉的合作關(guān)系。但雙方還未做出任何正式?jīng)Q定,。

????松下電器從2009年開(kāi)始就一直在與特斯拉有合作——最開(kāi)始是作為特斯拉的電池供應(yīng)商,，后來(lái)成為特斯拉投資人。2010年,，松下電器為特斯拉投資了3,000萬(wàn)美元,。去年，松下電器同意擴(kuò)大供應(yīng)計(jì)劃,，在接下來(lái)四年中為特斯拉供應(yīng)約20億塊電池,。這些電池將為Model S以及Model X轎車(chē)提供動(dòng)力。Model X是一輛運(yùn)動(dòng)型多功能轎車(chē),，預(yù)計(jì)于今年年末投產(chǎn),。

????然而根據(jù)杰夫的說(shuō)法，特斯拉同時(shí)也在審查其它電池供應(yīng)商,。特斯拉通過(guò)了對(duì)好幾家公司的認(rèn)證,，如韓國(guó)LG化學(xué)公司（LG Chem）和三星SDI（Samsung SDI），以及中國(guó)的比亞迪汽車(chē)公司（BYD）等,。杰夫說(shuō)：“特斯拉實(shí)質(zhì)上已經(jīng)給出了預(yù)計(jì)生產(chǎn)電池的規(guī)格,，也承認(rèn)這幾家廠商都具備生產(chǎn)這種電池的能力?！?/p>

????這一點(diǎn)意味著,，特斯拉可以同時(shí)從好幾家供應(yīng)商訂購(gòu)電池——但杰夫說(shuō)，特斯拉不太可能在Gigafactory項(xiàng)目上選擇一家以上的廠商進(jìn)行合作,。

????其它有可能合作的電池廠商包括中國(guó)的天津力神電池股份有限公司（Lishen）,、東莞新能源科技有限公司（ATL）和索尼公司（Sony）等——但杰夫說(shuō)，選擇這些公司的可能性很小,。

Potential partners

????Tesla also said it will partner with a battery manufacturer as well as companies that supply the precursor materials (such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and electrolytes) needed to make the batteries. Under the plan floated by Tesla, the partners will share the cost of the Gigafactory. Tesla will directly invest about $2 billion.

????Tesla has not yet named any partners. However, in the company's fourth-quarter earnings call last month, Musk did say the assumption is that its current battery cell supplier Panasonic would continue to be a partner.

????Panasonic spokesman Jim Reilly said the company, which also supplies Tesla with automotive electronics components, is looking into a variety of options to further strengthen its collaborative relationship with Tesla Motors. But nothing formal has been decided, Reilly said.

????Panasonic has had a relationship with Tesla -- first as a battery cell supplier, later as an investor -- since 2009. The company invested $30 million in Tesla in 2010. Last year, Panasonic agreed to expand its arrangement and supply Tesla with nearly 2 billion cells over the course of four years. The battery cells will be used to power the Model S as well as Model X, a sport utility vehicle scheduled to go into production by the end of this year.

????Still, Tesla has vetted other battery cell suppliers, Jaffe said. And it has certified other companies, including the Korean firms LG Chem and Samsung SDI and China's BYD. "Tesla has essentially given the specs of the cell they want built for its battery and have confirmed that [each] manufacturer is capable of doing it," Jaffe said.

????Which means Tesla could order battery cells from several suppliers -- though it is unlikely that the automaker will choose more than one manufacturer to partner with on the Gigafactory, Jaffe said.

????Other potential battery manufacturer partners include China's Lishen, ATL, and Sony -- a long shot, Jaffe said.