Panasonic wants Tesla partnership to go beyond batteries

Panasonic is currently Tesla’s exclusive supplier of batteries for the Model S, Model X and the new Model 3 – the Japanese company is also planning to contribute with USD 1.6 billion to the electric carmakers battery factory. In an interview with Reuters, Panasonic’s CEO, Kazuhiro Tsuga, said that the company is deeply interested in Tesla's self-driving system, also stating that; "We are hoping to expand our collaboration by jointly developing devices for that, such as sensors." The Japanese company has made automotive applications a focus in a growth strategy – targeted at corporate clients, this at the expense of low-margin consumer goods, Reuters reports. In the interview, Tsuga brings up organic photoconductive film CMOS image sensors – which the company is currently developing – which enable high-speed sensing of moving objects without distortion, as a possible candidate.