No. 458: A longer lasting lithium-ion battery at half price of the existing products for vehicles (March 13, 2012)

Technology

The competition for a longer lasting and low cost lithium-ion battery is growing harder. Lithium Energy Japan, jointly invested by GS Yuasa, Mitsubishi Corp., and Mitsubishi Motors, developed LEV50N that succeeds LEV50 introduced in 2009. The company successfully improved the performance and reduced the production cost of the LEV 50 thanks to volume efficiency and modification of the composition, and named it the second-generation lithium-ion battery.

The new product has higher durability in a hot environment and more than two times longer life under given conditions. In addition, it improved the response to the risk of thermorunaway greatly and increased the safety of the entire battery unit. Lithium Energy Japan will produce LEV 50Ns in its new plant scheduled to start operation in March. The new plant will produce LEV 50Ns at full capacity this summer, and products for plug-in-hybrid (PHV) will also be produced in this plant.