Hitachi seems to have made a major leap forward in the development of “green” vehicles. The company has just announced a new generation of its lithium ion batteries with significantly more specific power than current cells. The new cells have 70 percent more power than current cells and 50 percent more than the next-generation cells that go into production in 2010. The new cells are claimed to produce 4,500 W/kg along with 20 percent longer life than existing units. Hitachi expects to start producing the new cells sometime in the middle of the next decade.
The battery also boasts a 20% longer life, at 10 years, about the same as the life of a car. Hitachi, which in 2000 became the first company to mass-produce large lithium-ion batteries for cars, has sold 600,000 units so far. It aims to sell 100 billion yen worth of vehicle-use lithium-ion batteries in fiscal 2015.
In the meantime, Hitachi will be supplying lithium ion batteries to General Motors in 2010 for the next generation of the automaker’s mild hybrid system. The nickel metal hydride battery pack in the current mild hybrids will be replaced by a smaller lighter lithium unit along with a significantly more powerful motor/generator.