Toshiba makes a partnership to develop car batteries

The sticking point to most electric car manufacturing is the battery. Toshiba, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen are all working together to hopefully create a car battery that can stand up to most driving. The intention is that these Toshiba electric car batteries will help electric automobiles go farther, charge faster and be more economical.

Source of article: Toshiba creates partnerships to develop electric car batteries by Car Deal Expert

Batteries and their problems

The battery has been the question every since electric cars are around. An electric car relies on batteries for all of its power, and those batteries are notoriously heavy, short-lived and take a long time to charge. This was solved by the battery-gas hybrid. Within the push for all-electric autos, the race to develop better batteries is going.

Major players in electric car batteries

Tesla motors is presently the big name in electric vehicles – and this is partially due to its battery technology. Tesla’s electric roadster that costs $109,000 has a 300 mile range, but the high price tag is certainly a barrier. The Nissan electric Leaf is only $25,000, but the battery lasts for about 100 miles. Toshiba and Mitsubishi have partnered up to create a SCiB — Super Charge ion Battery — that could be long-lasting and inexpensive. Currently, Panasonic supplies batteries to Honda and Ford, while Hitachi supplies General Motors and NEC supplies Nissan.

Toshiba and their battery experience

The Toshiba push to create an electric car battery fits into the technology the business has long been developing. Toshiba makes motors for machinery, elevators, and bullet train. By combining its SCiB battery technology with its engine know-how, the business is going to be building motors for a Ford hybrid in the next few years. Toshiba is also partnering with Mitsubishi to launch a Peugeot/Mitsubishi/Toshiba electric automobile in Europe. To make an all electric vehicle, Toshiba is partnering with Volkswagen.

Battery life is getting better and electric car technology is improving. For the zero emissions vehicle market, this is good.