Toshiba is to spin-off its SCiB rechargeable battery business to make it an independent business unit within the Japanese corporation.
The decision will see SCiB (Super Charge ion Batteries) transferred from Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation (TISS)— a wholly owned Toshiba subsidiary— from 1 April 2019.
The move positions the corporation’s battery business which develops, manufactures and markets the SCiB, “as the group’s new growth business”, Toshiba said.
According to Toshiba, the spin-off is expected to “speed-up decision making and strengthen management, so as to accelerate the growth of the battery business by maximising access to the group’s technologies, manufacturing and sales resources”.
SCiBs are predominately used in electric vehicles. Toshiba has said previously the 20,000-cycle life batteries use lithium titanium oxide in the anode “for improved safety”. The lithium titanate chemistry is effective at quickly recharging, works well in a wide range of temperatures and can be easily integrated into a vehicle’s 12-volt electrical system.
TISS currently manufacturers SCiBs at its Kashiwazaki plant in Japan’s Niigata Prefecture.
BEST Battery Briefing reported last October that Toshiba planned to invest JPY16.2 billion (US$144.5m) to ramp up production of its SCiB batteries by building an additional, three-storey 27,000 square-metre facility at the TISS site.