X

Tesla and Panasonic solar cells are reportedly being sent to the Philippines

The plan was to ship most of the cells to Tesla for its Solar Roof trademark.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor
Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.
Expertise News, mobile, broadband, 5G, home tech, streaming services, entertainment, AI, policy, business, politics Credentials
  • I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
See full bio
Corinne Reichert
tesla-logo-ogi

The Tesla-Panasonic solar cells are shipping mainly to a Singaporean-owned factory in the Philippines, a report says.

 Tim Stevens/Roadshow

A majority of the  Panasonic  solar cells made at a Tesla plant in New York are reportedly being sent to a factory in the Philippines rather than staying in the US.

The solar cells are being purchased by HRD Singapore, which supplies solar panels to Ichijo, a Japanese eco-home building company, according to a report Thursday from Reuters. 

Tesla and Panasonic teamed up to make solar cells and modules in 2016 following Tesla's acquisition of SolarCity.

However, Reuters said Panasonic's plans to ship most of the cells to Tesla for its Solar Roof trademark have fallen through "because of low demand from Tesla and a trade loophole that had fired up new foreign interest."

Tesla didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.