Panasonic to Provide Batteries for Zoox

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Zoox, the robotaxi startup owned by Amazon, has expanded a bit just lately, and it is able to scale up sufficient that it has secured an EV battery provider for extra EV manufacturing.

Beginning in early 2026, Zoox shall be receiving batteries from Panasonic Power. It will likely be utilizing 2170 cylindrical batteries from the Japanese battery producer that was as soon as Tesla’s unique battery provider (and nonetheless provides a few of Tesla’s batteries).

The cells will initially come from Japan, however the plan is to finally produce them in Kansas. Observe that whereas the Trump administration has killed the entire EV subsidies for shoppers, it has not (but) touched the battery manufacturing tax credit Democrats and President Joe Biden handed as a part of the Inflation Discount Act of 2022. These embody tax credit for producing battery cells in addition to battery packs (and in addition battery mineral mining and processing if an organization engages in these actions within the USA).

Observe that Zoox just lately began working robotaxis in San Francisco, becoming a member of Waymo because the second robotaxi operator in The Golden Metropolis (until you additionally depend Cruise, which used to function robotaxis there however not does).

The corporate was additionally “issued an exemption for Zoox driverless autos beneath its newly expanded Automated Automobile Exemption Program” just a few months in the past by the Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration. “That is the first-ever exemption for American-built autos beneath this system.”

Is Zoox prepared for primetime? I don’t learn about that, nevertheless it’s clearly rising and increasing. Let’s see how a lot it may possibly unfold its wings in 2026.