Automotive manufacturer Mazda has unveiled plans to build a new battery pack plant in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

The facility will focus on producing modules and packs for automotive cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells, which will be supplied by Panasonic Energy.

These packs are destined for installation in Mazda's inaugural battery EV, built on a dedicated EV platform at the company's vehicle plant in Japan.

Mazda expects the new facility to have annual production capacity of 10GWh.

“Under the 2030 Management Policy, Mazda is steadily preparing for electrification technologies based on the multi-solution strategy that provides a variety of technological options to meet customer needs and regulatory changes, in order to contribute to solving the social issue of curbing global warming,” Mazda said in its press statement.

In May 2023, Mazda signed an agreement with Panasonic Energy to secure a supply of cylindrical lithium-ion batteries for automotive use.

Following this, their collaborative plan to enhance battery production and technological development was endorsed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in September last year.

In October, Mazda partnered with Swiss engineering firm ABB to implement its RB1000i-S paint atomisers at the Ujina plant in Japan.

The new paint atomiser, mounted on top of the ABB robot, is said to improve transfer efficiency by upwards of 10%.

It can significantly reduce paint waste by a minimum of 30% along with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, compared to its predecessor, the RB 1000i, the Swiss company claims.