Mitsubishi Heavy to make lithium-ion batteries


High Voltage Maintenance Training Online

Our customized live online or in‑person group training can be delivered to your staff at your location.

  • Live Online
  • 12 hours Instructor-led
  • Group Training Available
Regular Price:
$599
Coupon Price:
$499
Reserve Your Seat Today

Mitsubishi Heavy lithium-ion batteries power buses, wind turbines, and solar systems, with a Nagasaki test plant and talks with Better Place on charging networks and battery swapping for electric vehicles and industrial equipment.

 

Essential Takeaways

Industrial-grade rechargeable cells for EVs and renewables, piloted in Nagasaki with mass production targeted for 2012.

  • Test plant in Nagasaki shipyard to build medium-sized cells
  • 400,000 cells annually in 2010; 1.2 million planned by 2012
  • Targets buses, forklifts, wind, solar, and industrial machines
  • Exploring Better Place battery swapping and charging networks
  • Market for heavy-duty Li-ion expected to reach $30B by 2015

 

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, Japan's biggest heavy-machinery maker, said it plans to start mass-production of industrial-use lithium-ion batteries in late 2012.

 

Demand for heavy-duty, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for the secondary battery market segment in industry, which can be used in buses and wind power generators, is growing fast amid environmental concerns.

Mitsubishi Heavy said the company is also interested in a scheme planned by Better Place, a California-based company building a global network of charging stations for the electric car industry, where Toyota's green battery plant signals rising competition.

Shares in Mitsubishi Heavy finished up 4.9 percent at 389 yen after the news became public, compared to a 1.4 percent rise in the benchmark Nikkei average.

Mitsubishi Heavy, which is also expanding capacity in its nuclear power business, said it would spend 10 billion yen (US$100 million) to build a test plant for the production of lithium-ion batteries for use in products like forklift trucks, wind power generation and solar panel systems in 2010.

The plant, to be located in the company's Nagasaki shipyard in southern Japan, will have an annual output capacity of 400,000 medium-sized cells.

The company said it aims to start operating a mass production plant in late 2012 with an annual output capacity of 1.2 million cells.

Mitsubishi Heavy expects global demand for heavy-machinery use lithium-ion batteries to more than double to around $30 billion by 2015.

Some analysts, however, are skeptical whether the business will raise Mitsubishi Heavy's bottom line, a giant machinery maker with its product lines ranging from tanks to air conditioners.

"I don't think the high stock price is sustainable. The business' impact on its earnings would be limited," said Mitsushige Akino, Ichiyoshi Investment management company's chief fund manager.

Mitsubishi Heavy plans to use the cells mainly in its own industrial machines, but is also interested in the swappable car battery business and all-electric car tests as part of its EV strategy, senior executive vice president Ichiro Fukue told a group of reporters on the sidelines of a news conference.

"We are in talks with Better Place on several business plans," Fukue said.

Better Place plans to offer electric transportation by building a network of charge spots and battery swapping stations.

Producers of car-use lithium-ion batteries include Hitachi Ltd, Toshiba Corp, GS Yuasa and U.S.-based A123 Systems, while Toshiba developing EV batteries with automakers underscores ongoing collaboration.

 

Related News

Related News

Experiment Shows We Can Actually Generate Electricity From The Night Sky

Nighttime thermoradiative power converts outgoing infrared radiation into electricity using semiconductor photodiodes, leveraging negative illumination…
View more

ATCO Electric agrees to $31 million penalty following regulator's investigation

ATCO Electric administrative penalty underscores an Alberta Utilities Commission probe into a sole-sourced First Nation…
View more

When did BC Hydro really know about Site C dam stability issues? Utilities watchdog wants to know

BC Utilities Commission Site C Dam Questions press BC Hydro on geotechnical risks, stability issues,…
View more

Electricity Prices in France Turn Negative

Negative Electricity Prices in France signal oversupply from wind and solar, stressing the wholesale market…
View more

N.L. premier says Muskrat Falls costs are too great for optimism about benefits

Muskrat Falls financial impact highlights a hydro megaproject's cost overruns, rate mitigation challenges, and inquiry…
View more

Advanced Reactors Will Stand On The Shoulders Of Giants

Advanced Nuclear Reactors redefine nuclear energy with SMRs, diverse fuels, passive safety, digital control rooms,…
View more

Sign Up for Electricity Forum’s Newsletter

Stay informed with our FREE Newsletter — get the latest news, breakthrough technologies, and expert insights, delivered straight to your inbox.

Electricity Today T&D Magazine Subscribe for FREE

Stay informed with the latest T&D policies and technologies.
  • Timely insights from industry experts
  • Practical solutions T&D engineers
  • Free access to every issue

Live Online & In-person Group Training

Advantages To Instructor-Led Training – Instructor-Led Course, Customized Training, Multiple Locations, Economical, CEU Credits, Course Discounts.

Request For Quotation

Whether you would prefer Live Online or In-Person instruction, our electrical training courses can be tailored to meet your company's specific requirements and delivered to your employees in one location or at various locations.