Toyota To Ramp Up NiMH Battery Production

The Wildly Successful Toyota Prius




Here is some proof that Li ion battery technology is not quite ready for prime-time. This is also a bold statement by Toyota, who obviously expects their hybrid vehicle sales to increase.

Toyota Motor Corp. wants to expand the production capacity for the NiMH battery packs it uses in hybrids by 10%.

The automaker is now seeking access to enough NiMH batteries to equip 1.1 million hybrid cars in 2010, or 10% more than was initially called for in its existing expansion plans.

Panasonic EV Energy is capable of churning out roughly 700,000 NiMH battery packs a year. Its plans for 2010 include installing an additional line designed to produce 100,000 packs at its Omori Factory and building a plant in Miyagi Prefecture that can make 200,000 packs.

The joint venture will work to provide the added 100,000 pack capability without making further plant and equipment investments by boosting productivity and lowering the defect rate.

Source: Nikkei