NEC and FHI to develop lithium-ion battery pack

Advanced Battery Technology, Jul 2002

NEC Corp. and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. have agreed to form a new joint venture company, NEC Lamilion Energy Ltd., to develop a manganese lithium-ion rechargeable battery for automobiles.

NEC Lamilion Energy Ltd. will develop the manganese lithium-ion battery pack for automobile application. It also will develop test samples of the battery pack and manufacture volume production samples to supply to all major automobile manufactures. And it will improve the laminate cell for use in the battery pack.

By integrating NEC's laminate cell technology with FHI's battery pack technology, the new company aims to develop a rechargeable battery that sets the global standard. NEC Lamilion Energy plans to supply the test battery to all domestic and international automobile manufacturers for industry evaluation. The company expects to prove actual performance and to determine a scheme of production within three years.

Automobile manufacturers are currently focusing their research and development power on advancing the hybrid automobile, the electric automobile, and automobiles driven by fuel cells.

In developed nations, hybrid automobile development is increasing, and full-scale production is expected in the near future with substantial market growth forecast. To advance the development of these cars, the major challenge is the development of rechargeable battery technology. A thinner, lighter, more compact battery, with higher performance and at a more competitive price, is required to raise the performance of current vehicles.

NEC has already developed and is producing a highsecurity manganese lithium-ion cell with laminate packaging technology for watches and mobile terminals. A laminate manganese lithium-ion battery has many advantages over the currently used nickel metal-hydride battery, such as higher power density, smaller volume, lighter weight, and reduced heat generation. NEC believes that this battery technology coupled with FHI's automotive battery pack technology will complete a battery pack that can be applied as the new power source for the automobile.

For details, contact Daniel Mathieson, NEC Corp., 81 3 3798 6511, email: d-mathieson@bu.jp.nec.com, or Shinichi Murata, Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd, muratas @ho.subaru-fhi.co.jp.