Toyota adds hybrid battery plant
June 2, 2008 by Alborz Fallah
Toyota has confirmed rumours of another battery production plant in northern Japan to meet ever increasing demand for hybrid vehicles. The Big T needs the extra capacity if it intends to meet its 1 million hybrid cars by 2010 target.
Similar to the NEC + Nissan venture, Toyota has teamed up with Panasonic (Matsushita Electric Industrial Co) and plans to invest ¥30 billion ($300 million) on the plant. Toyota aims to produce at least 200,000 battery packs annually.
However, unlike the AESC venture for Nissan, Toyota’s plant is focusing primarily on the somewhat outdated nickel-metal hydride batteries, the ones currently used in the Toyota Prius hybrid car.
Panasonic is also ramping up production efforts at its existing plant southwest of Tokyo in Shizuoka prefecture. The electronic giant is expected to build another plant at that site to manufacture next-generation lithium ion batteries.
The next generation plant is expected to open by 2010 and have capacity in the tens of thousands.
Print it: 
presumably they will also be building a plant that recycles 100% of the battery. Because this whole ‘enviro’ movement is not just another money making scam. is it…? I wont be holding my breath for the battery recycling part of things.
Agree, otherwise its going to be a nuclear/nuclear waste the so call 100% pollutant free energy.
Don’t worry if its a farce the environmental groups will get them.
Higher Flyer – Toyota Motor Corporation already has a battery recycling regime in place and recycles as many components as it can. All Toyota related dealerships around the world are encouraged to participate.
Granted, hybrid technology is far from ideal — it has a long way to go, but you have to start from somewhere, and Toyota has given it a decent crack. The reality is that Toyota is the only company so far who have been able to successfully commercialise a hybrid car — the Prius — and to sell in excess of 1 million of them worldwide. There are other hybrids out there, but they have not enjoyed the same sales volumes as the Prius.
Toyota already recycles the hybrid batteries — they pay a bounty for each battery recycles, so there is a financial incentive to do so.
Agree with comments apart from the first two… some people are short sighted, hybrids are a steppig stone towards better technology, you cannot just jump straight into the perfect environmentally friendlu vehicle. Its funny though because the same people who attack hybrids tell us that Diesels are great… now that is a dead end.
TP, my agreement with flying, is that If you plan to invest and develop into future technology, make sure you have a solution for the fallout that comes with it.
Thankfully, Supporter/Dingo has answered it.
Prius_Au – there are other hybrids on the market. Take the blinkers off. Try GM and Fords US website. Yep they might not make the mark as the prius & civic does but they are hybrids.