Toyota Wants to Increase Lithium-Ion Battery Production to 20,000/Year

The lithium-ion batteries will likely replace the nickel-metal hydride batteries that Toyota currently uses in its hybrid cars.

Toyota announced that it would up its lithium-ion battery production, ending its reluctance to use the technology in its mainstream hybrids.

Toyota and Panasonic plan on building a new production line for about 20 billion yen ($194 million USD) in an effort to increase lithium-ion battery production to 200,000 per year.

The lithium-ion batteries will replace the nickel-metal hydride batteries that Toyota currently uses in its hybrid cars. Lithium-ion batteries are lighter, smaller and offer greater driving range.

Some of Toyota’s competitors – including Ford and Hyundai/Kia – already use lithium-ion battery packs in vehicles like the Fusion Hybrid and Sonata Hybrid.

It's also likely that the lithium-ion batteries will be used in Toyota's Prius gasoline-electric hybrid cars, but the company declined to mention if the next generation Prius will get some li-ion action.

According to Reuters, Toyota's Prius line accounted for 70 percent of the 5 million gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles the company has sold since they launched in 1997.

In January of this year, Toyota's Prius was named the best-selling vehicle in California with 60,688 units sold. 

Courtesy of Daily Tech.