Hitachi To Supply Hybrid Car Batteries To GM

TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese electronics maker Hitachi Ltd. said Thursday it will supply lithium-ion batteries for hybrid vehicles to General Motors Corp. in 2010 and sharply raise production capacity to meet surging demand for gas-electric cars.

Hitachi currently makes 40,000 lithium-ion batteries per month and will lift the capacity to three million units.

"We plan to boost our production capacity for lithium-ion batteries as we expect demand for hybrid vehicles will continue to grow worldwide," said Hitachi spokesman Shinya Yamada. He declined to say when Hitachi would lift the capacity.

The Nikkei business daily said Thursday that Hitachi would invest around 30 billion yen ($311 million) to raise production capacity. But Yamada declined to confirm the report.

Hitachi will also start supplying lithium-ion batteries for hybrid cars to GM next year, the company spokesman said without elaborating further.

Toyota Motor Corp.'s hybrids now use nickel-metal hydride batteries. The world's largest automaker said last month it will use for the first time lithium-ion batteries for its plug-in hybrid cars.

Using a lithium-ion battery will produce more energy, allowing hybrid cars to run more as an electric vehicle, but there have been some technological hurdles.

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GM and Japanese batteries 7/2/2009 1:59:00 PM We have allocated billions for battery manufacturing in the US. We, the tax payer, are theoretical owners of GM. We must raise an outcry and demand that GM get their head screwed on. I want that manufacturing here in our USA not in Japan. Why now, a rush to judgement by GM. The battery business is not rocket science. It needs only customers, we have the technology.
Lithium Ion Batteries 7/2/2009 2:54:00 PM Lithium Ion batteries are probably the most practical choice for batteries driving traction motors, and they have the highest current density I know of. While Luithium ion cells have their own technical issues, such as inability to recharge (ever) if the cell voltage drops below a certain point, and the issue of heat dissipation when under high current drain or charge...these can fairly easily be overcome, and in fact, current lithium ion battery packs contain a LSI chip that monitors voltage, and switches the load off if voltage drops too low. From where I stand, these appear to be the best mature battery technology presently in use.
foreign batteries for the American foreign car company 7/3/2009 11:01:00 AM GM, the largest employer in Mexico, and is moving it's engineering to India, is a foreign car company with overpaid US execs. As a taxpayer who's engineering job was sent to Mexico (thanks to Clinton the middle class killer) I resent any part being imported to the company I am part owner of. How the hell can the American people get this through the traitors in DC?

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