Mitsubishi Heavy to Make Lithium-Ions for Cars

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. plans to produce lithium-ion batteries for electric and hybrid cars and market them to automakers by 2010, reports The Nikkei Business Daily. Japan’s comprehensive heavy-machinery maker intends to produce the batteries at its Nagasaki shipyard and recently sent samples to some of Japan’s top automakers. As early as next year, it aims to conduct test drives using the batteries in prototype vehicles.

At the same time, the company plans to develop electric motors for cars, with the aim of supplying the batteries and motors as one package.

NEC Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. are co-developing similar batteries. In addition, Hitachi Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co. and top-ranked lead-based battery manufacturer GS Yuasa Corp. have all joined the lithium battery race.