Lithium battery manufacturers are under increasing threat from auto makers, because they want to DIY them on their own. Elon Musk set the stage with giga-factories for his Teslas, but appears to be diversifying to richer markets. The future of electric transport is inextricably linked to battery cost. Now Toyota and Panasonic have decided to make their own to drive cost down with scale.
What Type of Batteries Will Toyota and Panasonic Make?
The media are mum on the details. Toyota has previously had great success with NiCad batteries for its Prius hybrid range, whereas Panasonic is currently working with Tesla on lithium batteries.
However, Toyota and Panasonic agreed a joint venture in 2017 to develop “batteries with higher density in a prismatic cell arrangement.” Euractiv has speculated these could have “50 times the capacity of current hybrid vehicles”. Because prismatic pouch cells are packaged in rectangular housings and use a layered approach as opposed to the tubular cells that Tesla favors.
Structure of a Conventional Lithium-Ion Pouch-Cell
Moving on to the Venture Itself: What Happens Next?
IOL.Com says Toyota and Panasonic will hold 51% and 49% of shares respectively. They hope to be in production by 2020, and take on Nissan Leaf, the top selling brand in Europe.
Then Panasonic will bring its immense battery knowledge to bear in a titanic struggle taking on Tesla and China. Moreover, Panasonic may gradually separate from the former according to Euractiv, possibly on account of “production backlogs” of cars. A formal announcement is due out soon, possibly this week. This new arrangement doubtless relates to Toyota’s resolve to sell 1 million zero-emission battery EVs and fuel-cell vehicles by 2030.
Moreover, it will also give Panasonic cost and scale advantages as China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology pushes hard to be on par with it. We wish Toyota and Panasonic the best of luck as they put their shoulders to the EV wheel.
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Preview Image: Pouch Cell-Type Battery
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