Breakthrough Success in Miniaturization
In 1996 Nissan became the world's first automaker to install a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery in one of its models. In the following years, Nissan built on its rich experience and market data to achieve a compact Li-ion battery using laminated-cell construction.
Nissan's compact Li-ion battery features smaller size, higher power output, and higher capacity than conventional cylindrical cells. This makes it ideal for use in automobiles and a natural choice for electric, fuel-cell and hybrid electric vehicles.
See the following links for technical details on these batteries:
The compact Li-ion battery
Nissan LEAF Platform
Toward increased use of Electric-Powered Vehicles
In 2007 Nissan partnered with NEC Corp. and NEC Tokin Corp. to launch Automotive Energy Supply Corp. (AESC), a joint venture to manufacture and market compact Li-ion batteries for a wide range of automotive applications.
The batteries will be used in Nissan's Hybrid Vehicles and EVs to be launched in the United States and Japan in fiscal 2010. AESC will market its battery products to potential customers in the automotive industry worldwide.
Second Life for Batteries
In October 2009, Nissan and Sumitomo Corporation announced plans to examine a joint business venture to give a second life to batteries used in EVs. The high-performance lithium-ion batteries used in Nissan's EVs will still retain 70%-80% of their initial capacity at the end of vehicle life. Based on the "4R" business model, the two companies will seek to reuse, resell, refabricate and recycle these batteries, providing an energy storage solution for the global markets.
Both companies will examine the feasibility of the business in order to establish a framework for a new joint-venture company, which is expected to be operational by the second half of 2010 in Japan and the United States. In Europe, the Renault-Nissan Alliance partners are carrying out a joint examination of this business model.
