No. 363: Honda selects Toshiba’s lithium-ion battery for its Fit EV (November 27, 2011)

Honda decided to employ Toshiba’s lithium-ion battery for its small electric vehicle “Fit EV” scheduled to be put on the market in Japan and the U.S. in 2012. Because Toshiba already acquired an order from Mitsubishi Motors, Honda is the second automaker that selected Toshiba’s lithium-ion battery. Honda picked Toshiba’s self-developed lithium-ion battery called “SCiB” that allows for recharge up to 80% in 15 minutes and 4,000 times of charge and discharge. It needs only half the time required by the generally used in-car lithium-ion battery for recharge. Honda plans to start lease sale of its Fit EV in the U.S. in the summer of 2012 with a view to selling about 1,100 units in three years, and put it on the Japanese market within 2012. 

Toshiba is the last entrant to the in-car lithium-ion battery market. It is currently shipping its lithium-ion batteries to Mitsubishi Motors for the electric vehicle “i-MiEV” and Honda’s electric motorcycles. NEC that is shipping its lithium-ion batteries to Nissan for the “Leaf” is ahead of Toshiba. The competition to get orders from automakers is growing harder among lithium-ion battery makers.