Japan’s GS Yuasa, a major lead-acid battery maker, could start mass production of lithium-ion batteries that would double the driving range of small electric vehicles (EVs) by 2020, according to a report.
Japanese business journal Nikkei Asian Review said the batteries would allow a Mitsubishi Motors’ i-MiEV small vehicle to travel up to 340km after charging – compared to around 170km at present. This would compare favourably with the driving range of a large EV or a petrol-fuelled vehicle, the journal claimed.
GS Yuasa reportedly aims to keep the price of the batteries at “about the same level” of existing products in the market.
According to Nikkei, GS Yuasa’s subsidiary, Lithium Energy Japan (LEJ), a joint venture with trading house Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors, will develop the cells, which will be produced in Japan’s Shiga Prefecture and supplied to automakers in Japan and Europe.
