Producer
Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd.
Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd. (Osaka; subsidiary of Panasonic Holdings; TYO: 6752) manufactures cylindrical, prismatic, and thin lithium-ion cells. In the consumer electronics LCO segment, Panasonic holds approximately 5-7% global market share, primarily supplying laptop and tablet manufacturers including Panasonic's own TOUGHBOOK line. Panasonic's largest battery operation is its EV cylindrical cell joint venture with Tesla (Panasonic Energy of North America; Sparks, Nevada gigafactory) — but this produces NCA (nickel cobalt aluminum) cells for Tesla rather than LCO. Panasonic Energy's Kasai, Hyogo Prefecture Japan facility handles consumer LCO cell production. Panasonic Energy was spun off from the Panasonic Group battery operations as a separate entity in 2022 to enable more agile decision-making.
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Inputs supplied
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Goods downstream
4
Facilities
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Stories
What they make
2 inputs Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd. supplies
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Goods downstream
Essential goods that depend on something Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd. makes — pick one to see the full supply chain.
Where they make it
4 facilities
Panasonic Energy -- Sparks, Nevada (Tesla Gigafactory Nevada) →
USSparks, Washoe County, Nevada, USA · manufacturing_plant
Panasonic Energy primary US cell production at Tesla's Gigafactory Nevada (Sparks, NV). Panasonic manufactures 2170 cylindrical cells for Tesla Model 3/S/X/Y here. Built in 2016-2017 as the world's largest battery factory by floor space (~5.4M sq ft). Panasonic holds 49% of the Gigafactory Nevada; Tesla holds the building/land. Both Panasonic and Tesla now operate independently within the same facility.
Panasonic Energy Kasai Consumer Battery Plant (Hyogo) →
JPHyogo Prefecture · manufacturing
Panasonic Energy's Kasai, Hyogo Prefecture facility produces consumer-grade lithium-ion cells including LCO prismatic and cylindrical formats for laptop computers, tablets, and Panasonic industrial devices. This is distinct from Panasonic's EV battery gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada (NCA cells for Tesla) — the Kasai plant handles the traditional Japanese consumer electronics battery business. Kasai is one of Panasonic's oldest battery manufacturing sites, with lineage tracing to Matsushita Electric battery operations. Source: https://panasonic.net/cns/energy/company/base.html
Panasonic Energy Wakayama Factory →
JPWakayama · manufacturing
Primary Japanese cylindrical NCA cell production for Tesla 2170 cells; sister plant to Tongling, China.
Panasonic Energy of North America (PENA) — De Soto KS →
USKansas · manufacturing
US gigafactory producing Tesla 4680 cylindrical cells; first 4680 production at volume outside Nevada.
What else they do
Business segments
The company's full revenue map — where this supply-chain role fits within their broader business.
EV Battery Cells (Tesla Gigafactory Partnership)
55%Consumer Batteries (EVOLTA Brand)
25%Industrial & Commercial Batteries
20%
Intelligence
What's known
Sourced claims about this company's role in supply chains — chokepoints, concentration, incidents, dual-use connections.
Did you know2023
Panasonic Energy is simultaneously the manufacturer of EVOLTA (Japan's best-selling alkaline consumer battery) and Eneloop (the world's benchmark NiMH rechargeable — the global standard for quality rechargeable AA batteries) AND the exclusive cell supplier to Tesla for the Model 3 and Model Y at Nevada Gigafactory. The same Osaka company whose consumer EVOLTA batteries power TV remotes and whose Eneloop batteries power camera flashes is the only qualified supplier of 2170 NCA cylindrical cells for Tesla's highest-volume vehicles. The consumer battery business (EVOLTA, Eneloop) and the EV cell business (Gigafactory Nevada, Kansas planned) use different cell chemistries and form factors but share the same cylindrical cell manufacturing expertise: controlling cathode coating uniformity, separator welding, electrolyte filling, and cell formation at scale. If Tesla and Panasonic's supply agreement is disrupted — by pricing disputes, capacity allocation conflicts, or quality issues — there is no approved alternative supplier for 2170 cells for Model 3/Y production. The world's best-selling EV has a single-source battery cell dependency on a consumer alkaline battery company.
Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd. ↗Origin2023
Panasonic has been a battery manufacturer since 1931 when it launched Japan's first domestic dry cell battery — before Matsushita (Panasonic's founder Konosuke Matsushita) had even named his most famous products. Panasonic pioneered NCA (nickel-cobalt-aluminum) cathode chemistry for cylindrical lithium-ion cells in the early 2000s — NCA provides higher energy density than standard NMC but requires more careful manufacturing controls to prevent thermal runaway. When Tesla needed an EV battery partner for the Model S (2012) and subsequent vehicles, Panasonic's NCA cylindrical cell expertise was the best available match for Tesla's energy density requirements. The Tesla-Panasonic Nevada Gigafactory (opened 2016) was the first battery gigafactory in the world — building on Panasonic's 1931 alkaline battery heritage through NiMH and Li-Ion technology generations to produce the 2170 cell that powers the best-selling electric vehicle ever made (Model Y). A 1931 Japanese dry cell battery company is now the US market's primary EV battery cell manufacturer through a single-customer Nevada gigafactory.
Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd. ↗