Panasonic Group to Supply Lithium-ion Batteries for Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid

Expanding the eco-friendly vehicle battery business to plug-in hybrid vehicles

Panasonic Group today announced that it will supply lithium-ion batteries for Toyota Motor Corporation's Prius Plug-in Hybrid. This announcement marks the first time for the Panasonic Group to supply its lithium-ion batteries for a mass production plug-in hybrid vehicle^*1

Given the growing public concern for conserving the environment and escalating oil prices, the demand for rechargeable batteries for eco-friendly vehicles is expected to grow rapidly. In response to this, our group is enhancing its development abilities and strengthening its business for rechargeable batteries for eco-friendly vehicles. We are already supplying nickel-metal hydride batteries and systems for hybrid vehicles to a number of automobile makers globally and is also carrying out joint development of lithium-ion battery systems for hybrid vehicles with other car manufacturers.

We are aiming to accelerate the development and commercialization of high performance rechargeable batteries for eco-friendly vehicles and further expand our rechargeable battery business globally.

An announcement has been made by Toyota today about the Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle and its sales in Japan.

*1: Plug-in hybrid vehicles are next generation hybrid vehicles that can be charged from a standard residential-use power supply. Typically, plug-in hybrid vehicles are equipped with batteries with a higher capacity than standard hybrid vehicles, extending the distance they can travel using only the electric motor. Compared to typical hybrid vehicles, the proportion of time plug-in hybrid vehicles run on electricity only has been increased, bringing even greater benefits for the environment, such as further reductions in CO₂ emissions.

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