Panasonic Corp. (TYO:6752) recently announced that it will begin production of automotive lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) at an LCD plant operated by group company Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co. Ltd. in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture. Amid increasingly strict worldwide environmental regulations, automakers are accelerating their efforts to turn over to electrically powered vehicles. And with this move creating...
LiB
Toshiba Reveals Prototype Next-Gen LiB With Increased Capacity, Rapid Recharging
Toshiba Corp. (TYO:6502) announced on Oct. 3 that it has successfully completed a prototype for a new version of its SCiB lithium-ion battery (LiB). For this prototype, Toshiba has switched its anode material to titanium–niobium oxide (TNO), which has twice the capacity of alternative material graphite. The new battery’s ultra-rapid recharge technology allows it to...
METI Pushes New Development System to Outfit Cars With All-Solid-State LiBs
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will shake up how Japan develops all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) for automobiles. Beginning next April, automakers, battery manufacturers and other organizations will shift to a joint development system with a goal of commencing mass production in the early 2020s. All-solid-state LiBs have an energy density about 30...
Toyota, Gunma University Successfully Measure Changes in LiB Composition
A research group including Gunma University, Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203) recently announced that it has succeeded in simultaneously monitoring composition changes in the cathode and anode of a lithium-ion battery (LiB). This was achieved through use of a high-luminance, high-energy X-ray at the large Spring-8 synchrotron radiation facility to measure the lithium-ion concentration distribution of...
TPR to Enter EV Capacitor Market With Power Storage Device
TPR Co. Ltd. (TYO:6463) has set about commercializing a power storage device for compact electric vehicles (EVs) by 2020. The device will connect several electric double-layer capacitor cells to form a unit, with the necessary performance to drive EV motors being provided through cell enhancement. As automotive electrification accelerates, the need for high-performance power storage...
Nissan Agrees to Transfer Electric Battery Business to China’s GSR Capital
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...
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...
Suzuki Sets Indian LiB Production at 50% Higher Capacity than Japan
Suzuki Motor Corp. (TYO:7269) has established an annual production capacity of 600,000 batteries for the company’s lithium-ion battery (LiB) factory to be built in India. It is 1.5 times the annual sales volume in Japan, and enough for about 30 percent of the annual production capacity of 2 million vehicles anticipated in early 2019. India...
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....
Central Glass to Manufacture Battery Electrolytes in Czech Republic
Central Glass Co. Ltd. recently announced that it has established a new company in the Czech Republic for the production of lithium-ion battery (LiB) electrolytes. Although the company has yet to determine the specific location and operation start date, it is planning to construct a large-scale plant that will be able to mass-produce 20,000 electrolytes...
Sekisui Chemical Markets Flame-Retardant Urethane Foam for EVs, FCVs
Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4204) is expanding marketing of its nonflammable urethane foam to the automotive industry. The company posits that the material can be used in peripheral parts and power supply equipment for electric vehicles (EVs) and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). The material is sold as a fire-proofing product for use in manufacturing plants...
Hitachi Metals Neomaterial Develops Current-Collecting Clad Foils for LiBs
Hitachi Metals Neomaterial Ltd. recently revealed that the company has successfully developed current-collecting clad foils for high capacity lithium-ion secondary batteries (LiBs). Compared to the conventionally used electrolytic or rolled copper foils, the new foils have a high tensile strength and can handle the use of alloys in negative-electrode active material. With both public research...
Mitsui Chemicals to Boost Chinese Production of LiB Electrolyte Solutions
Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (TYO:4183) has announced that it will increase production capacity of lithium-ion battery (LiB) electrolyte solutions at Formosa Mitsui Advanced Chemicals Co. Ltd. (FMAC), a China-based joint venture with Formosa Plastics Corp. FMAC will boost its current annual production capacity of 1,500 tons to 5,000 tons. Established through equal investment from Mitsui Chemicals...
Sekisui Chemical Launches Large-Capacity Film-Type Lithium-Ion Batteries
Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4204) has announced the commercialization of the company’s large-capacity film-type lithium-ion batteries (LiBs). These batteries have been built into a home storage battery system launched by Kyocera Corp. (TYO:6971). Sekisui Chemical will continue development activities with the aim of entering the automotive battery market in the future. Since the large-capacity film-type...
