Tesla gets ready to dump LG Chem after acquiring own battery manufacturer

It’s well known that the best to save money on a project is to employ DIY wherever possible.  After being “cell-starved for vehicle production” earlier this year, Tesla acquired Canadian battery manufacturing and engineering company Hibar Systems.

On October 2nd, Hiber Systems was first spotted on Tesla’s subsidiary list in its official filings with the Canadian Federal lobby registration.

Last year, Hiber Systems was awarded $2 million CAD from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) to build a full “high-speed Lithium-ion battery manufacturing system” in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canda.

While the company’s website is now nothing but a blank page with contact details, it previously mentioned this project in brief:

$2 million to support the development of a high-speed Lithium-ion battery manufacturing system to meet growing market demand for mass electric energy storage solutions.

The company previously made a battery research deal with Canadian li-ion battery pioneer Jeff Dahn, forming the group “NSERC/Tesla Canada Industrial Research”, and opening a new research lab near Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Since then, the company have purchased Maxwell, a supercapacitor and battery manufacturer with a new revolutionary dry-electrode technology.

Maxwell’s dry electrode technology promises to increase battery density from 40 to 140%, which should massively expand the range of Tesla cars, while also being more environmentally friendly due to not using solvents.

Tesla’s acquisition of a company with battery cell production equipment not only ensures consistent supply but also creates the opportunity to manufacture higher quality li-ion batteries at lower costs.  Further details will be revealed at the upcoming “battery and powertrain investor day” early next year.

Source: electrek