VW plans Varta tie-up on batteries
It said the project aims to undertake research and development of lithium-ion batteries that would be more competitive in terms of technology and price.
The four-year project still needed approval by the German Cartel Office.
Volkswagen, which wants to launch the first electric car by 2013, presented a prototype of the e-UP! model at the Frankfurt Car Show this month.
VW already works with Japan's Toshiba and Sanyo as well as with China's BYD on battery technology.
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'That can keep you up at night': Lessons for Canada from Europe's power crisis
TORONTO - Europe is currently suffering the consequences of an uncoordinated rush to carbon-free electricity that experts warn could hit Canada as well unless urgent action is taken.
Power prices in Germany, for example, hit a record 91 euros ($135 CAD) per megawatt-hour earlier this month. That is more than triple what electricity costs in Ontario, even during periods of peak demand.
Experts blame the price spikes in large part on a chaotic transition to a specific set of renewable electricity sources - wind and solar - at the expense of other carbon-free supplies such as nuclear power. Germany, Europe’s largest economy,…
