Tesla negotiating deal with BMW for vehicle batteries

24 Nov 2014

Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Photo via Phil Stafford/Shutterstock.com

American car manufacturer Tesla Motors is in talks with industry powerhouse BMW over a potential deal for batteries and light-weight components.

Tesla’s chairman and CEO Elon Musk confirmed the news in an interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel, as reported by Reuters.

“We are talking about whether we can collaborate in battery technology or charging stations,” said Musk, who also described BMW’s production of carbon fibre-reinforced car body parts as “interesting” and “relatively cost efficient”.

Tesla specialises in electric cars and recently unveiled the SD model, which promises to bring as close to a driverless car as possible. The vehicle can read road signs through its camera array and lower speed accordingly. When pulling into the driveway, the SD will allow the driver to get out and, if he or she is trustworthy of the initial models, allow it to park itself in his or her garage.

The SD’s sensors also allow the driver to put on his or her indicator and the car will automatically judge whether it is safe to move into the other lane and continue driving.

BMW has also held discussions recently with Musk to tackle this issue and develop a network of electric car-charging points throughout Europe.

Elon Musk image via Shutterstock

Dean Van Nguyen was a contributor to Silicon Republic

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