Matsushita to Increase Lithium-ion Battery Production by 300%
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.22.08
50 Million More Battery Units per Month
With the progressive electrification of transportation (from hybrids to plug-in hybrids to electric cars), one thing the world will need more of is batteries. Matsushita, who owns the Panasonic brand and has a partnership with Toyota for the development of automotive technologies, has decided to invest 100 billion Yen ($951 million) into a new litium-ion manufacturing plant in Osaka. It will be one of the biggest in the world, allowing the company to triple its output an increase of 50 million battery units per month.
Thankfully, most modern lithium-ion batteries used in vehicles are non-toxic and recyclable, and over the life of a car, they can help save enormous quantities of non-renewable fossil fuels and reduce smog-forming emissions substantially. Not perfect, but better than what we have now.
The new plant should start operations in 2010 (which is pretty fast for such a huge undertaking).
Of the global market, Sanyo, Sony and Matsushita Battery command a combined share of about 70 percent. Other competitors include Samsung SDI Co. and LG Chem, Ltd., both based in South Korea, and BYD Co., based in China.
But if the future of transportation really is electric, there could be a problem down the road because there's almost no battery production in North-America as far as we know.
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More on Matsushita's New Lithium-Ion Battery Factory
Matsushita set to build battery plant in Osaka
Reuters
Matsushita to triple capacity with new lithium ion battery plant
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That's good news!
What about regular lithium batteries, like for cameras? Are there places where people can recycle those batteries?
So...the battery the women are gesturing toward...is that for a car? It's huge! That has to be the largest battery I've ever seen.
That's sweet revenge, considering GM/Chevron conspired to pin Panasonic down to the ground by preventing them from continuing to make Nickel Metal Hydride batteries for Toyota and Honda hybrids! Claiming some type of bogus patent infringement, really designed to slow down hybrid penetration into the marketplace. Don't beleive me, Google the Cobasys Ruling. Now with li-ion Panasonic stands to get back into the game, dramatically reduce cost, and probably end up producing some of the best li-ion batteries on the market, especially if they manage to ditch the liquid gel and go to a full high density solid-state chemistry. But then they'll have MIT on their back for patent infringement again... ring around the rosey as the Earth cries out for a day of Sabbath.
Hey, did you get permission from Martin Eberhard to publish a photo of his car?