Toyota Reported Willing to Sell Batteries to Competitors

Published: 17-Jan-2009

DETROIT -- Toyota Motor Corp., the only major automaker that produces its own batteries, plans to sell lithium- ion batteries for plug-in cars to competitors.

Along with making packs for a plug-in version of the Prius hybrid, Toyota sees an opportunity for additional revenue from supplying packs to rivals, Executive Vice President Masatami Takimoto said in an interview yesterday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Toyota has been the top hybrid-maker since it began selling the Prius in Japan in 1997. Prius sales fell 12 percent last year in the U.S., where it accounted for half of the hybrids sold. Toyota showed a revamped model yesterday that goes on sale this year.

	UltraBattery Sets New Standard for HEVs The battery system was developed by CSIRO in Australia, built by the Furukawa Battery Company of Japan and tested in the United Kingdom through the American-based Advanced Lead-Acid Battery Consortium.
	Hitachi to Provide GM with Next Generation Lithium Ion Packs The new batteries will make the GM Hybrid System nearly three times more powerful than the system it replaces. Pictured is 2009 Saturn Vue Green Line with Two-mode hybrid drive.
	The Great Electric Car Battery Race Dramatic developments in stored-power technology make electric cars more viable than ever. Pictures is Th!nk Global's new Ox crossover vehicle.