Volkswagen teams up with Sanyo, Japan for eco-friendly cars
German carmaker Volkswagen and Japan’s Sanyo Electric have come together to develop lithium-ion battery for electric cars.
Volkswagen expects to commence import of the battery by 2012, as reported by a Japanese paper, quoting company sources. This will enable Volkswagen in catching up with competitors in eco-friendly car manufacturing.
The environmental groups in Europe are bringing pressure on carmakers to make their least fuel-efficient cars more eco-friendly.
Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in computers and mobile phones. Sanyo leads the market. Toyota, the manufacturer of most successful Prius hybrid model is in collaboration with famous Panasonic brand giant Matsushita Electric Industrial, to commence mass-production of lithium-ion battery for its hybrid models by 2010.
NEC Corporation, Japan, and Nissan have also joined hands for mass production of lithium-ion battery to replace nickel-hydrogen batteries, currently used in Nissan’s vehicles.
The Sanyo make lithium-ion battery will be smaller than a nickel-hydrogen battery. Volkswagen will be able to design cars which will be lighter than the existing design.
Sanyo is considering this change as a major turnaround and has already initiated steps for restructuring. Sanyo’s current product is nickel-hydrogen batteries used by Honda and Ford.
Volkswagen and subsidiary Audi will use Sanyo’s nickel-hydrogen batteries in their first hybrid model, which will be in the market early next year, according to the report.
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