Japan's Sanyo Electric Co Ltd is in talks with two major automakers to supply lithium-ion batteries as it moves to secure growth beyond the era of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. "Two car makers are looking into our lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles," Sanyo Executive Vice President Mitsuru Homma told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.
Homma did not give the names of the automakers, or disclose which country they are from. Customers for Sanyo's hybrid car-use batteries include Honda Motor Co, Ford Motor Co and PSA Peugeot Citroen, but the world's largest rechargeable battery maker has so far disclosed little about its electric car battery business. Industry specialists say part of the demand for hot-selling hybrid vehicles, such as Toyota Motor Corp's Prius, will eventually move to zero-emission electric vehicles.
But developing batteries for electric vehicles (EV) is technologically challenging as EV batteries need to have substantially higher capacity than hybrid-use batteries without posing safety risks. Homma also said Sanyo, the world's largest rechargeable battery maker, is also talking with Japanese and European motorcycle producers about supplying lithium-ion batteries for electric-powered motorbikes.
"I cannot tell you who they are since these would be their strategic products. But specific talks are under way not only with Japanese makers but with European makers as well," he said. Homma did not identify the prospective buyers. Major Japanese motorcycle makers include Honda, Suzuki Motor Corp, Yamaha Motor Co Ltd and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.