The social infrastructure arm of the Toshiba Corporation is to invest JPY16.2 billion (US$144.5m) to ramp up production of its SCiB rechargeable lithium-ion batteries by building an additional production facility.
The three-storey 27,000 sq. m facility, to be built at Toshiba Infrastructure Systems and Solutions’ (TISS) Yokohama complex, will also serve as a ‘production technology development centre’.
Toshiba said this would allow the firm “to respond positively to potential future expansion of the lithium-ion battery unit”.
SCiBs (Super Charge ion Batteries) are predominately used in electric vehicles. Toshiba said 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.
Construction work on the new plant is scheduled to begin in July 2019, and expected to conclude in October 2020.
