Toyota is continuing its big push into the electric mobility space, enlisting the expertise of Panasonic to develop advanced batteries for electric vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions. The newly announced Prime Planet Energy & Solutions joint venture from the two Japanese companies will launch in the coming months, with plans to develop batteries not just for Toyota but the industry as a whole.
This isn’t the first time Toyota and Panasonic have joined forces for cleaner mobility. The latter has previously helped develop solar roofs for the former’s Prius PHEV, and has helped develop battery technology for some of Toyota's electric vehicles for more than a decade.
At the beginning of last year, the pair announced they were collaborating on a new venture, which we now know to be Prime Planet Energy & Solutions. The project will involve 5,100 employees who will be working on prismatic batteries for electric vehicles, which are square-shaped devices built to maximize available space by layering the various battery components on top of one another.
The team will also be developing new solid-state battery designs, in the hope of attracting business from EV-makers other than Toyota. Prime Planet Energy & Solutions is slated to begin operating on April 1, 2020.
Source: Toyota
