Battery separator company Asahi Kasei plans to build a new separator plant in Ontario, Canada, and has formed an agreement with Honda Motor Co to study joint investment.
The Japanese company will manufacture and coat its Hipore wet-process lithium-ion battery separator.
A new company, Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Corp, is being set up this October and will receive funding from the Development Bank of Japan through an issue of preference shares.
It also expects Canadian federal and provincial government funding.
Investment total is stated as approximately ¥180 billion ($1.16 billion) for the plant. It is expected to start operations in 2027 and have production capacity of 700 million square metres of coated polyolefin film.
The separators will be used in batteries in Honda and other makes of EV in North America. Honda is aiming for 100% of global sales from EVs and FCVs by 2040.
Hiroyoshi Matsuyama, senior executive officer of Asahi Kasei, said: “The Hipore business will play an important role in Asahi Kasei’s growth over the medium term. Capturing market growth in North America will be essential for us. This partnership with Honda, having a rich track record in the North American automotive market and aggressively electrifying its vehicle line-up, allows us to make a meaningful contribution to improvement of LIB performance in light of anticipated growth in the electric vehicle market and the energy transition in North America.”
Image: Conceptual image of initial facility. Asahi Kasei
