Hitachi Vehicle Energy has developed a lithium-ion battery claimed to have the industry’s highest power density of 4,500W/kg, 1.7 times the output of the company’s current mass-produced, automotive lithium-ion batteries.
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Testing of the new battery by domestic and overseas car manufacturers will start in autumn.
To reduce internal resistance, the battery employs a new manganese cathode and an original battery structure.
For the same energy density, a lithium-ion battery has about half the volume and weight of a nickel hydrogen battery, and about a third of the volume and weight of a lead battery.
This makes the li-ion type a small, light, high energy density, secondary battery that is attracting attention for its suitability for hybrid and electric vehicles, Hitachi said.
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By GlobalDataA second-generation lithium-ion battery with a power density of 2,600 W/kg, currently being delivered for automotive and railway applications, is the only mass-produced lithium-ion battery for on-board applications, Hitachi said. About 600,000 cells have so far been delivered, mainly to car manufacturers and railway companies.
Development of a third-generation lithium-ion battery with an even higher power density (3,000 W/kg) has already been completed. This will go into mass-production in 2010.
The battery set for automaker testing this autumn has been developed as a fourth-generation lithium-ion version that is smaller and lighter yet able to provide the highest output.
