Tesla CEO Elon Musk: Billions Coming For Battery Business

Tesla's Musk has claimed demand for the new energy storage systems has been overwhelming.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been championing his latest endeavor to extend his empire beyond electric cars: batteries for home and business.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been championing his latest endeavor to extend his empire beyond electric cars: batteries for home and business.

Credit: MARK RALSTON via Getty Images

DETROIT, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc's new storage battery business could generate "a few billion dollars" in revenue in 2017, Chief Executive Elon Musk told analysts on Wednesday.

The company's new Nevada battery plant is "on track" to begin production in early 2016, Chief Technical Officer J.B. Straubel said.

Chief Financial Officer Deepak Ahuja said the company may not be cash-flow positive until early 2016. Previously, Musk said he expected to see positive cash flow by late 2015.

Musk said Tesla's California factory will have the capacity to build 1,000 Model S sedans and 1,000 Model X crossovers a week in 2016, but he expects combined production and sales of both cars may average 1,600 to 1,800 a week, or 83,000 to 93,000 for the full year.

Musk said the new Model X "may be the hardest car to build in the world." (Reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit; Editing by Richard Chang)

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