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Panasonic expected to delay EV battery production at US plant

Panasonic expected to delay EV battery production at US plant

NHK3 days ago
Sluggish sales at electric vehicle maker Tesla are forcing officials at Panasonic Holdings to rethink their plans in the United States. They're expected to delay full production of EV batteries at a new plant in Kansas.
The Japanese firm has invested about 4 billion dollars in the facility, mainly to supply Tesla with batteries. Panasonic has another battery plant in Nevada.
Sources say the firm has effectively postponed plans to have the Kansas plant running at full capacity by the end of March 2027.
Tesla said on July 2 that global sales in the April-June period dropped 13 percent from the same period the year before. The announcement marks two straight quarters of decline.
Some consumers are boycotting the brand in light of the political activities of chief executive Elon Musk.
Tesla is also facing tough competition from other EV makers.
The Trump administration is rolling back incentives for people to buy electric vehicles, raising concerns about the US market stagnating.
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