Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi is set to team up with South Korea based LG Chem to jointly develop an advanced automotive lithium-ion battery system.
According to reports in the Nikkei, LG Chem will supply the batteries for electric vehicles on which Mitsubishi is working with the companies to develop a battery system to add a power control device and a collision safety mechanism to LG’s batteries. They will also produce a prototype vehicle that uses the developed battery system with a pilot project at the Nagoya factory.
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation and GS Yuasa Corporation had formed an alliance back in 2007 to manufacture large capacity and high performance lithium-ion batteries for the i-MiEV.
However, LG Chem, which is already well established in the cell phone and notebook computer industries, has had a lot of success in supplying batteries to GM and Ford. A venture with Mitsubishi would mark the first time a Japanese automaker has produced electric cars incorporating lithium-ion batteries made overseas.
