VW, Sanyo to develop lithium-ion battery
Volkswagen will aim to start importing and using the battery in its hybrid and electric cars by 2012, the Nikkei said.
The move comes after plans by Nissan Motor Co and NEC Corp to start mass-producing lithium-ion batteries, considered more environmentally friendly than nickel-hydrogen ones.
Sanyo makes nickel-hydrogen batteries that can be recharged repeatedly and the batteries will be used by Volkswagen and subsidiary Audi AG in the Volkswagen group's first hybrid model to be rolled out as early as next year.
But the lithium-ion battery to be jointly developed would be smaller and lighter than nickel-hydrogen batteries, enabling the car's weight to be cut by 200-300 kilograms (440-660 pounds), the Nikkei said.
The new battery would also allow the car to have better fuel efficiency and acceleration, it added.
Sanyo, which has the biggest global share of lithium-ion batteries used in personal computers and mobile phones, plans to invest nearly 100 billion yen ($973 million) to make and develop them over the next three years.
Related News
FERC needs to review capacity market performance, GAO recommends
WASHINGTON - Capacity markets may or may not be functioning properly, but FERC can't adequately make that determination, according to the GAO report.
"Available information on the level of resource adequacy ... and related costs in regions with and without capacity markets is not comprehensive or consistent," the report found. "Moreover, consistent data on historical trends in resource adequacy and related costs are not available for regions without capacity markets."
The review concluded that FERC collects some useful information in regions with and without capacity markets, but GAO said it "identified problems with data quality, such as inconsistent data."
GAO included three recommendations, including…
