Gigafactory Will Cost Tesla $5 Billion But Offers Significant Cost Reductions

+16.04%
Upside
180
Market
209
Trefis
TSLA: Tesla logo
TSLA
Tesla

Tesla Motors (NYSE:TSLA) unveiled details of its much talked about ‘gigafactory’. During the earnings release, Elon Musk announced that Tesla would build a gigafactory for the production of electric batteries. The gigafactory will cost Tesla up to $5 billion to build, but once complete, will be able to churn out enough batteries for 500,000 vehicles. To facilitate the set up of the factory, Tesla plans to raise $1.6 billion through issuance of bonds. [1]

In addition, there are also reports that Panasonic could invest up to $1 billion in order to strengthen its ties with Tesla. [2] The ambitious project will also see the automaker adding 6,500 employees and acquiring a whopping 1,000 acre land. Shares of the company were up 5% in the after hours trading. Since the start of 2013, Tesla’s shares have now gained more than 600%.

We have a price estimate of $151 for Tesla, which is about 40% below the current market price

Relevant Articles
  1. Down Almost 20% This Year, Is Tesla Stock Good Value?
  2. Down 9% Year-To Date, Will A Q4 Earnings Beat Drive Tesla Stock Higher?
  3. With Delivery Growth Cooling, Is Tesla Stock Still A Buy At $250?
  4. Following A Lackluster Cybertruck Debut, Is Tesla Stock Overvalued At $240?
  5. Will Weak Earnings Follow Tesla’s Mixed Delivery Report?
  6. With Deliveries Missing Estimates, What’s Next For Tesla Stock?

See full analysis for Tesla Motors

Demand For Tesla Vehicles Will Grow

Tesla recently announced its fourth quarter and full year earnings, during which it stated that it expects to sell 35,000 Model S sedans this year, up 55% from the 2013 figure. However, demand for Tesla’s vehicles could grow multifold once the lower priced Gen III model is launched in 2017.

As of now, demand for Model S exceeds the supply. Acquiring the desired number of batteries is one of the main reasons why supply trails the demand. Currently, Tesla buys its batteries from Panasonic. With the new factory, the automaker will be no longer reliant on its supplier to ramp up production.

Significant Reduction In Battery Costs

The gigafactory will help slash the battery costs by 30% in the very first year of production. [3] As production rises, there could be further cost savings. The factory would begin production in 2017 and would reach full production in 2020. At its peak production, the factory would produce 50 gigawatt-hours of battery units in a year – more than the entire world’s current production. In 2012, twenty seven gigawatt-hours of battery were consumed globally.

The inception of the factory coincides with the launch of the Gen III in 2017. The automaker needs to drastically reduce the cost of batteries if it needs to launch the Gen III at a price point of $35-40,000. Currently, the cost of production comes out to be ~$400 per kilowatt hour of battery. But with the economies of scale and advancements in technologies, Tesla intends to push the down the figure to $200 eventually. [1]

It’s not clear how many Gen III cars will be available to the public in 2017. Based on our conservative assumptions, we expect it  to be in the region of 20-25,000 units.  However, this could easily cross 200,000 units, once the factory peaks production.

Investors are not only bullish about Tesla’s future launches, but believe the gigafactory could even revolutionize the dynamics of the power industry. With 50 gigawatts of batteries, Tesla could even provide surplus batteries to the electronic industry. In fact, Tesla could become a leader in low-cost producer of energy storage. The potential impact of such a move remains huge and is one of the reasons why investors are so excited about the company’s long-term prospects.

See More at TrefisView Interactive Institutional Research (Powered by Trefis)

Notes:
  1. Tesla Plans $5 Billion Battery Factory, February 26, 2014, wsj.com [] []
  2. Panasonic considers investing in $1 billion Tesla battery plant: sources, February 25, 2014, reuters.com []
  3. Musk’s $5 Billion Tesla Gigafactory May Start Bidding War, Fenruary 27, 2014, bloomberg.com []