Report: Toyota to boost Li-ion production for hybrids to more than 200K packs per year

The Nikkei reported that Toyota Motor Corp. plans to increase its output of lithium-ion batteries for the Prius and other models to more than 200,000 units a year.

Most of Toyota’s hybrids still rely on NiMH batteries. The Nikkei report said that Toyota hopes to extend the range of its hybrid cars by reducing their weight with smaller lithium-ion batteries.

PEVE, in which the carmaker holds an 80% stake and Panasonic Corp. the remainder, has a production line at its Teiho factory in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture that can turn out 36,000 lithium-ion batteries per year, but the line does not have the capacity to meet Toyota’s production target.