Tech: Tesla has officially started production of the cells that will power its Model 3 sedan (TSLA)

The first cars are scheduled to arrive in customers' garages by the end of 2017.

Tesla CTO JB Straubel confirmed that the Californian company has started the production of the battery cells that will power its forthcoming Model 3 electric vehicle (EV).

The company's Nevada gigafactory will be responsible for the cells' production, The Verge reports — a crucial milestone for Tesla, which prepares to put on the market its first mass-adoption EV.

"This is where we’re at today with this project; it's still got a little ways to go," Straubel said this past weekend at the Midwest Renewable Energy Association’s Energy Fair.

"But we've started production of Model 3 cells actually right now, so we’re starting to ramp up those cell manufacturing lines and crank this up as we begin to ramp Model 3."

The Model 3 should enter production next month at Tesla's Fremont, California gigafactory, with the first vehicles shipping to customers by the end of the year.

The first cars are scheduled to arrive in customers' garages by the end of 2017. Read Full Story