Panasonic supplied the lithium-ion battery cells for the original Tesla Roadster.
The first-generation Tesla Roadster used thousands of cylindrical 18650-format lithium-ion cells supplied by Panasonic. Tesla assembled those cells into a large battery pack, creating an unusual automotive system from a cell format already common in laptop computers and other consumer electronics.
The Roadster’s battery pack contained 6,831 cells arranged into modules known as sheets, bricks and parallel cell groups. Its 53-kilowatt-hour pack helped the car achieve an EPA-rated range of about 244 miles, remarkable for a production electric vehicle released in the late 2000s.
Tesla’s relationship with Panasonic later expanded beyond the Roadster. The companies collaborated on improved nickel-based cells for subsequent Tesla vehicles, including the Model S and later products. That history can cause confusion because Tesla has used multiple battery suppliers and chemistries over time, but Panasonic is the canonical answer for the original Roadster’s cell supplier.
The Roadster was based on the Lotus Elise chassis and was produced from 2008 to 2012. It was the first highway-legal production electric car to use lithium-ion cells.