Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7201) announced on August 8 that it will sell its electric battery operations and production facilities to GSR Capital, a Chinese private investment fund. Nissan and GSR entered into the share transfer agreement that same day, and will complete the relevant proceedings by the end of December. The agreement covers Nissan’s...
EV
Mitsubishi Fuso Begins Production of Electric Truck in Portugal
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. began production of its electric-powered light truck, the eCanter, on Aug. 1 at Mitsubishi Fuso Truck Europe SA’s plant in Tramagal, Portugal. The small electric truck will be exported to North America and Europe. For Japan, production began in July at Mitsubishi Fuso’s Kawasaki factory. Twenty-five vehicles are scheduled...
Nissan Makes Full-Fledged Effort to Increase EV Sales in China
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7201) has announced a full-fledged effort to increase its sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in China, developing new SUV and sedan EVs exclusively for the Chinese market. In addition to introducing these new EV models as Nissan brands in 2018, the company will also add local Chinese brand, Venucia, to its...
Aichi Steel Adds New Press Line for Forging Electric Car Parts
Aichi Steel Corp. (TYO:5482) announced on July 12 that the company has constructed a servo press line at its research and development plant in Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, to develop new forged components for electric vehicles (EVs). Vehicle electrification is advancing as environmental regulations become more stringent worldwide. The company expects that demand for drive system...
Mitsubishi Fuso to Launch EV in Each Truck Class by 2020
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. aims to introduce an electric-powered truck in all of the company’s truck classes by 2020. The components to make these electric trucks are being developed primarily by Mitsubishi Fuso, and the company will offer the trucks globally through parent company Daimler AG. Domestic production began in July for Mitsubishi...
EV Maker GLM to Form Capital Alliance With Hong Kong’s O Luxe
Electric vehicle (EV) venture GLM Co. Ltd., Kyoto, announced on July 10 that it will form a capital alliance with Hong Kong-based investment and holding company O Luxe Holdings Ltd. GLM is planning to begin mass production of its all-new GLM G4 electric car in 2019 and is raising the necessary funds from O Luxe...
Volvo to Go Electric on All Car Models Starting in 2019
Swedish automaker Volvo Car Corp. recently announced that, starting in 2019, the company will no longer launch gas-only vehicles. The company’s entire lineup will be comprised of electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) and hybrid vehicles (HVs). No new exclusively internal-combustion vehicles with gasoline or diesel engines will be released. At the present time,...
Nissan Aims for $6B Value From Three-Company Alliance
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7201) Chairman Carlos Ghosn announced at the company’s June 27 ordinary general meeting of shareholders that, with the addition of Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (TYO:7211) to the Alliance between Nissan and Renault SA, the three companies will share 70 percent of their platforms by 2020. Ghosn said that the Alliance will allow...
Maxell Creates New Possibilities With Internal Observation of Lithium-Ion Batteries in Action
Hitachi Maxell Ltd., commonly known as Maxell, recently announced that it has broken new ground in the observation of lithium-ion batteries (LiBs). The company has succeeded in simultaneously measuring lithium concentration distribution in the positive and negative electrodes of charging and discharging electrolytic solution LiBs in a single field of view in real time. This...
Hitachi AMS Shifts Focus to Electric Mobility and Autonomous Driving
Hitachi Automotive Systems Ltd. (Hitachi AMS) will start beefing up its operations concerning electric mobility and autonomous driving. The company is looking to win orders from automakers that are supplying or have decided to adopt electric mobility solutions and autonomous driving products. This is all happening as the industry assumes an accelerated spread of electric...
Honda Moves Toward Domestic Procurement for New Chinese-Market EV
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) will begin locally procuring batteries and motors for an electric vehicle (EV) to be launched exclusively for the Chinese market in 2018. Thus far, Honda has supplied batteries and motors for hybrid vehicles (HVs) in China with exports from Japan. Utilizing the EV launch as an opportunity, however, the company...
METI to Subsidize 150-Kilowatt Ultrahigh-Speed Charging Stations
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) recently announced its plans to subsidize ultrahigh-speed charging stations that can charge electric vehicles (EVs) in around 10 minutes. Provisions will be established as part of the subsidy system for this fiscal year at an amount of 2.3 billion yen ($20.71 million). In addition to preparing for...
Porsche Japan to Introduce EV Model in 2020, Extend PHV Lineup
Porsche Japan KK will launch domestic sales of a new electric vehicle (EV) in 2020, with plans to add plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) to its model lineup before then. By expanding its product lineup, the company is aiming to raise the ratio of EV and PHV sales volume to at least 10 percent of total...
Honda Reveals Strategy to Tackle Next-Generation Technologies
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) announced on June 8 its strategy for next-generation technologies. In autonomous driving technology, Honda is targeting 2025 for the introduction of a Level 4 highly automated driving system, which allows for fully autonomous driving in most situations. Under its vehicle electrification strategy, the company will develop an electric vehicle (EV)-dedicated...
Aichi Steel to Double Production Capacity of Heat-Dissipating Parts for EVs, HVs
Aichi Steel Corp. (TYO:5482) announced on May 31 that the company will double its production capacity of heat-dissipating parts for environmentally friendly cars such as hybrid vehicles (HVs) and electric vehicles (EVs). The investment amount for the increase, which includes the construction of a new building and facilities, totals at about 3 billion yen ($27.16...
Honda to Leverage EV Technology in Support of Japan’s Rapidly Aging Population
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) announced on May 18 that the company this summer will start demonstration testing of its products aimed at realizing smart cities in response to Japan’s rapidly aging population. The testing will take place at at Tokyu Fudosan Holdings Corp. (TYO:3289) and the Kiminomori suburban housing complex in Chiba Prefecture. Japan...
Asahi Kasei Unveils Akxy EV Concept Car
Asahi Kasei Corp. (TYO:3407) convened a press conference in Tokyo on May 17 to unveil the Akxy, a road-ready concept car developed with GLM Co. Ltd., a venture-backed electric vehicle (EV) company based in Kyoto. The GLM car’s interior and exterior include Asahi Kasei engineering plastics and semiconductors, while onboard systems and other parts contain...
Targeting Electric Cars, NSK Plans Bolstering Components Business
NSK Ltd. (TYO:6471) will enhance the support and responsiveness offered by its automotive parts business with respect to the electrification of vehicles taking place at present. NSK plans to step up its powertrain development for electric vehicles (EVs) and develop a highly durable EV drive unit. Amid an age of vehicles turning electric in higher...
Roland Berger Study: Almost Half of Consumers Would Favor Self-Driving Cars
As many as 46 percent of consumers worldwide would forego having their own cars if self-driving cars became a reality, a Roland Berger study has found. The consulting firm’s survey incorporates the online responses of some 10,000 consumers across 10 countries, including Japan, the U.S., China and Germany. Roland Berger’s position is that automakers and...
Panasonic Opens New Automotive LiB Plant in China
Panasonic Corp. (TYO:6752) announced on April 27 that its Chinese JV Panasonic Automotive Energy Dalian Co. Ltd. has completed construction of a new automotive lithium-ion battery (LiB) plant in Dalian, Liaoning Province. The announcement was coupled with an opening ceremony on the day. The plant is Panasonic’s first automotive battery cell production base in China....
Chademo Makes Full-Scale Push to Popularize EV Fast Chargers Overseas
The Chademo Association is set to begin full-scale activities aimed at popularizing electrical vehicle (EV) fast chargers overseas. Along with establishing certification requirements appropriate for each country’s electricity regulations, Chademo will create an environment that supports certification work for fast chargers in those regions. In accordance with these activities, Chademo has also developed new test...
Nidec Eyes Shipments of 100M In-Vehicle Motors by 2020
Nidec Corp. (TYO:6594) plans to expand its in-vehicle motor business. The company will commercialize new products in such recent domains as next-generation brake systems and traction motors for use in electric vehicle (EV) drive units. Nidec is looking to at least double shipments of in-vehicle motors from fiscal 2016 to over 100 million units for...
Nissan Looks to Bring Wireless EV Charging Into Practical Use by 2020
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7201) is aiming to commercialize the non-contact power transfer (wireless charging) of its electronic vehicles (EVs) by 2020. It is alleged that EV charging would be made easier, and EVs made more convenient, by implementing a system that would allow the vehicles to charge while parked at designated locations without the...
Hayashi Telempu, Adler Pelzer Join Forces for Development in Automotive Soundproofing
Major automotive interior supplier Hayashi Telempu Co. Ltd. has signed an agreement for the joint development of acoustic systems with Adler Pelzer Group, a leading German manufacturer of soundproof material. By combining their automotive soundproof technology and production bases, the two companies aim to supply parts for strategic global car models, and to achieve practical...
GLM to Launch 40 Million Yen EV Supercar in 2019
Electric vehicle (EV) maker GLM Co. Ltd. announced on April 18 that it will begin mass production of the GLM G4 in 2019. This will make the Kyoto-based company the first Japanese manufacturer to produce an EV supercar. The four-wheel drive model will be equipped with GLM-developed motors in the front and rear that will...
Suzuki, Toshiba, Denso to Invest 2 Billion Yen Into Indian Battery JV
Suzuki Motor Corp. (TYO:7269), Toshiba Corp. (TYO:6502) and Denso Corp (TYO:6902) announced on April 14 that they have agreed to jointly establish a new company in India for the manufacture of automotive lithium-ion battery (LiB) packs. The three partners will establish the new JV by the end of 2017, with production slated to begin within...
Toshiba, Waseda University Replace Diesel Buses With Electric, Cut CO2 Emissions by 60%
Toshiba Corp. (TYO:6502) has demonstrated that the use of electric buses equipped with a wireless rapid rechargeable battery system will cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by about 60 percent compared to diesel engine buses. Toshiba conducted its tests jointly with Waseda University, verifying the convenience of wireless charging and its effectiveness in reducing CO2 emissions....
Mitsubishi Electric Develops World’s Smallest SiC Inverter for Hybrid Cars
Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (TYO:6503) recently announced that it has developed an ultra-compact silicon carbide (SiC) inverter for hybrid vehicles (HVs). The world’s smallest of its type at just 5 liters, the SiC is slated to be developed for mass production, with Mitsubishi Electric aiming for commercialization around 2021. Demand is growing for HVs and electric...
Tajima Light Metal to Establish Plant in China on High Expectations for Electric Cars
Metal-processing company Tajima Light Metal Co. Ltd. will establish its first plant outside of Japan. The company is set to create a JV for producing sand mold aluminum parts in China with a local Chinese manufacturer. Sand mold casting is suitable for multi-kind, small-volume production of precision parts. Tajima Light Metal aims to attract orders...
Nissan Trials Yokohama Car Sharing Service Featuring Ultra-Compact Electric Vehicles
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7201) on March 17 announced that the automaker and the City of Yokohama have begun trialing a car sharing service featuring the Nissan New Mobility Concept ultra-compact electric vehicle. Called Choimobi Yokohama, it consists of 25 vehicles and 14 locations in central Yokohama, operating as a round-trip service where users can...
