Electronics firm, Sanyo has entered a supply agreement with Suzuki to provide the carmaker with lithium-ion battery systems for its planned plug-in hybrid model.
The Japanese carmaker initially plans to produced just a small number of plug-in hybrid version of its popular Swift supermini model to allow its dealers to begin trials of a demonstration fleet in its home country from the autumn.
The plug-in version of the Swift was seen for the first time in Europe at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. The carmaker has not yet made any announcement of when the model might go into full production details, but it’s hope that the model might reach showrooms by 2014.
The electronics company is already working with Suzuki’s parent firm, Volkswagen to develop the next generation of nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion battery systems, as well as with PSA Peugeot Citroën for a nickel-metal hydride battery system
The firm has also been supplying nickel-metal hydride batteries for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) to Honda and Ford since 2004.
