• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Toyota to Meet Hybrid Vehicle Demand With Three New Battery Plants

Posted on: Wednesday, 28 May 2008, 09:01 CDT

Toyota is planning to address the increasing demand for hybrid vehicles with three new hybrid battery factories, including one dedicated for next-generation lithium ion packs, Automotive News has reported, citing the Japanese newspaper Nikkei as its original source.

It is reported that the company is likely to spend around $673.1 million on the planned plants, to facilitate an annual battery output of one million units by 2011.

Nickel-metal hydride batteries are likely to be produced at a plant in northern Japan, whereas the lithium ion battery plant will be based in Shizuoka, southwest of Tokyo. The new nickel-metal hydride plant is scheduled to start production in 2011 with an estimated output of around 300,000 batteries a year, while the lithium ion plant is likely to start production in 2010.

The move reportedly follows the announcement made by Nissan Motor about the advanced mass-production of lithium ion batteries and Honda Motor's plan to introduce four new hybrid vehicles by 2015.

It is claimed that Toyota's batteries are being built by Panasonic EV Energy, a joint venture between Toyota and Japanese electronics company Matsushita Electric.

Source: Datamonitor

More News in this Category