The Key To The Electric Car Revolution? It’s The Batteries … It’s Always been about the Batteries

It is hard to overstate the almost supernatural ability of Elon Musk to see the future and act on his instincts. Nearly a decade ago when electric cars first became a thing, Elon was already gearing up to make the batteries and install the charging network that would power the electric car revolution. Only now are others coming to the same realization Musk had a decade ago.

Panasonic & Toyota Form New Battery Partnership

So far as anyone can tell, Toyota has zero interest in manufacturing battery electric cars. It is all in on hybrids and plug-in hybrids and still dazzled by the promise of hydrogen fuel cells. In essence, it has chosen to sit on the sidelines because of a corporate-wide belief that current lithium-ion battery technology will soon be outmoded as new solid state technologies come along. Why hitch your wagon to a falling star?

Toyota and Panasonic announced this week they have formed a new partnership known as Planet Energy and Solutions. According to Forbes, it will work on prismatic batteries they intend to sell to other automakers. Prismatic batteries are square rather than cylindrical. The new business will initially employ more than 5,000 people and Toyota will own 51% of it while Panasonic will own the remaining 49%.

“Batteries — as solutions for providing energy for automobiles and other forms of mobility, and as solutions for various kinds of environmental issues — are expected to fulfill a central role in society going forward,” the companies said in a press release. The two companies have been cooperating on battery research since 1996.

The EU Is Ready To Take Battery Manufacturing Seriously

At the beginning of the modern electric car age, it was assumed auto manufacturers would make their own batteries. Then the thinking changed as the car companies realized what a massive and expensive challenge it was to make batteries, and then ceded the playing field to battery companies. But that led political leaders in Europe to worry that foreign companies would soon control the battery supply. They had good reason to be concerned, as CATL, LG Chem, BYD and others all announced plans to build European battery factories.

In response, the French and German governments announced last week a major new initiative to build European-owned battery factories in both countries, according to the Los Angeles Times. Germany and France “want to build the best and most sustainable batteries” in Europe, said Peter Altmaier, Germany’s Economy and Energy Minister, in a statement from Berlin on Friday. “I’m convinced that battery cells made in Kaiserslautern will set new standards in their CO2 footprint.”

Kaiserslautern is where Groupe PSA-Opel and Total’s Saft Groupe will build a new battery factory at a cost of about €2 billion. To be known as the Automotive Cell Company, that factory is expected to begin production in 2024 and employ 2,000 workers.

Another factory will be constructed in the Hauts de France region in the northeast corner of the country near the border with Belgium. That facility will be known as the Automotive Cell Company and will cost about 2 billion euros. In an announcement about the new factory, French president Emmanuel Macron said, “We need to be able to produce our batteries; this is a matter of industrial sovereignty and the reduction of CO2 emissions,” according to Electrive.

The Europeans are getting a late start in the competition to build battery cells for electric cars, an industry that is expected to be worth as much as €25 billion a year by the middle of this decade. That means there will be a lot of money to be made for somebody and the Europeans want to make certain a significant portion of the profits remain in Europe.

This is all good news for the EV revolution, which will rely on a steady supply of reasonable priced batteries as the transition to electric transportation moves forward.

Toyota and Panasonic are teaming up in massive EV battery cell venture, report says

Panasonic, Tesla’s battery cell partner, is reportedly teaming up with Toyota to create an important electric vehicle battery cell venture in China and Japan.

According to a report from Japan’s Nikkei, the two Japanese companies would create a new joint-venture that would result in Panasonic producing a large number of cells for the automaker”

“The venture, in which Toyota is to hold a 51% stake with Panasonic owning the rest, will be announced as soon as this week. Panasonic will shift five automotive battery production facilities in Japan and China to the new company, though the U.S. plant it operates under a partnership with American automaker Tesla will not be included.”

For Panasonic, it would represent shifting an important part of its battery cell production capacity to Toyota’s electric vehicle programs.

Read More: Toyota andPanasonic Explore ‘Prismatic’ Batteries Together

Toyota has fallen behind when it comes to all-electric vehicles as it preferred to focus on fuel cell cars for years.

Lately, it is tentatively making moves in the space since announcing an expansion of its electric car plans last year with 10 upcoming new BEVs.

The first one is supposed to launch next year and it also happens to be when this new venture with Panasonic is supposed to go into operation, according to Nikkei.

The joint-venture would not only supply batteries to Toyota vehicles but also other partners like Mazda and Subaru.

Again according to the report, it will also involve the production of next-generation battery cells, including solid-state batteries.

Just over a year ago, the two companies announced that they were exploring the possibility to cooperate on batteries.

Electrek’s Take

I’ve been saying it forever: if you want to see how serious an automaker is about electric vehicles, you need to look at what they are doing to secure battery cell supply.

Until now, I would have never said that Toyota was serious about EVs, but it could be the case if the report turns out to be true.

Interestingly, the deal appears to be reminiscent of Tesla’s battery partnership with Panasonic, but we would need more details to confirm that.

Either way, this could be very important news for the over industry. We will keep an eye out for more information.

Article by Fred Lambert

Fred is the Editor in Chief and Main Writer at Electrek.

From Electric Vehicles – Micro Mobility and the NextGen ‘Green Revolution’ – Panasonic far from being ONLY a battery supplier: CES 2018 with (5) Videos

Panasonic is far from being satisfied with only a battery supplier role. The Japanese company has greater ambitions and intends to offer its scalable “ePowertrain” platform for small EVs.

The main target for the ePowertrain are EV bikes and micro EVs. These should now be easier to develop and produce using Panasonic’s power unit (with an on-board charger, junction box, inverter and DC-to-DC converter) and a motor unit. Of course, batteries are available too.

“Panasonic Corporation announced today that it has developed a scalable “ePowertrain” platform, a solution for the effective development of small electric vehicles (EVs). The platform is a systematized application of devices used in the EVs of major global carmakers, and is intended to contribute to the advancement of the coming mobility society.

Global demand for EVs is expected to expand rapidly, along with a wide variety of new mobility. These include not only conventional passenger vehicles but also new types of EVs, such as EV bikes and micro EVs, which suit various lifestyles and uses in each region.

The platform Panasonic has developed for EV bikes and micro EVs is an energy-efficient, safe powertrain that features integrated compactness, high efficiency, and flexible scalability. It consists of basic units, including a power unit (with an on-board charger, junction box, inverter and DC-to-DC converter) and a motor unit. The platform will help reduce costs and lead time for vehicle development by scaling up or down the combination of basic units in accordance with vehicle specifications such as size, speed and torque.

Panasonic has developed and delivered a wide range of components – including batteries, on-board chargers, film capacitors, DC-to-DC converters and relays – specifically for EVs, plug-in hybrids, and hybrid EVs. Panasonic will continue to contribute to the global growth in EVs through system development that makes use of the strengths of our devices.”

In the case of full-size cars, Panasonic is most known for its battery cells supplied to Tesla. The partnership was recently expanded to include solar cells.

Panasonic feels pretty independent from Tesla, stressing that it has its own battery factory “inside” the Tesla Gigafactory, however the cells were “jointly designed and engineered”.

Annual production of 35 GWh is expected in 2019.

Production of New Battery Cells for Tesla’s “Model 3”

Panasonic’s lithium-ion battery factory within Tesla’s Gigafactory handles production of 2170-size*1 cylindrical battery cells for Tesla’s energy storage system and its new “Model 3” sedan, which began production in July 2017. The high performance cylindrical “2170 cell” was jointly designed and engineered by Tesla and Panasonic to offer the best performance at the lowest production cost in an optimal form factor for both electric vehicles (EVs) and energy products. Panasonic and Tesla are conducting phased investment in the Gigafactory, which will have 35 GWh*/year production capacity of lithium-ion battery cells, more than was produced worldwide in 2013. Panasonic is estimating that global production volume for electric vehicles in fiscal 2026 will see an approximately six-fold increase from fiscal 2017 to over 3 million units. The Company will contribute to the realization of a sustainable energy society through the provision of electric vehicle batteries.

 

 

 

 

 

In regards to solar cells, Panasonic expects 1 GW output at the Tesla Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo, New York in 2019.

The solar cells are used both in conventional modules, as well as in Tesla Solar Roof tiles.

Strengthening Collaboration with Tesla

In addition to the collaboration with Tesla in the lithium-ion battery business (for details, refer to pages 5-6), Panasonic also collaborates with the company in the solar cell business and will begin production of solar cells this summer at its Buffalo, New York, factory. Solar cells produced at this factory are supplied to Tesla. In addition, the solar cells are used in roof tiles sold by Tesla, a product that integrates solar cells with roofing materials.Panasonic will continue its investment in the factory going forward and plans to raise solar cell production capacity to 1 GW by 2019.

Tesla And Panasonic Finalize Solar Cell Production Agreement

Japanese electronics company Panasonic and U.S. electric car manufacture Tesla announced Tuesday that they have finalized an agreement, and will begin production of solar cells at a factory in Buffalo, New York.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the two companies said they plan to start production of photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules in the summer of 2017.

Panasonic will be investing more than $256 million in a New York production facility of Tesla Motors, and has agreed to pay capital costs for the manufacturing. In return, Tesla has made a “long-term purchase commitment” to Panasonic.

Tesla said this agreement will create 1,400 jobs in Buffalo, including 500 in manufacturing, and plans further expansion in Buffalo.

JB Straubel, Chief Technical Officer and Co-founder of Tesla, said “We are excited to expand our partnership with Panasonic as we move towards a combined Tesla and SolarCity.
By working together on solar, we will be able to accelerate production of high-efficiency, extremely reliable solar cells and modules at the best cost.”

The Associated Press reported:

SolarCity has committed to investing $5 billion over 10 years in New York state, hiring almost 1,500 workers at the Buffalo plant for five years and employing at least 2,000 more people across New York in exchange for use of the state-owned plant.

This plan is part of the solar partnership that the two companies first announced in October.