Panasonic
We almost had a smartphone in the 90s. Why did it fail? adds Panasonic as one of the corporate partners around General Magic. The episode does not analyze Panasonic’s individual role, but uses the partner list to show how a well-funded alliance could still produce complexity rather than a clear product.
Panasonic appears in E229｜从手工作坊到全球第一：中国动力电池逆袭史 through Tesla’s early battery route. The episode says Tesla began with Panasonic 18650 cylindrical cells, then evolved toward 21700 and 4680 formats while trying changes such as tabless cells and structural battery ideas.
The source uses Panasonic mainly as a route-dependence example. Tesla’s battery format history differs from Chinese square-shell and blade-battery directions, showing that cell form factor reflects supplier availability, vehicle architecture, production process, and later service or recycling choices.
Connections
- Tesla — customer and EV-route context in the episode.
- BYD and CATL / 宁德时代 — Chinese comparison cases with different battery form factors.
- Power Battery Industry Chain — broader power-battery production context.
- General Magic and Sony Magic Link - source-scoped partner context from Planet Money.