Asahi Kasei and Honda have agreed to convert an existing Asahi Kasei subsidiary into a joint venture making lithium-ion battery separators in Canada. The deal takes forward an agreement entered into in April.
The new JV is tentatively called Asahi Kasei Honda Battery Separator Corporation. Asahi will hold 75% of the shares. The duo said it will combine each other’s strengths in material and electrification technologies to produce high quality separators for lithium-ion batteries.
The plant will manufacture and coat the Hipore lithium-ion battery separator and produce 700 million sq m per year of coated film. Hipore is a microporous polyolefin sheet.
The JV was capitalised with C$240 million (US$173 million) and is due to start in early 2025 with commercial operations slated for 2027. Total investment in the plant is ¥180 billion ($1.2 billion).
