Subaru, Panasonic in talks to develop automotive cylindrical li-ion batteries

Subaru announced that it is in talks with Panasonic to develop automotive cylindrical li-ion batteries.

According to the Japanese carmaker, the goal of the discussion is to build a medium- to long-term partnership to meet demand for battery electric vehicles (BEV) and automotive batteries in a rapidly expanding market.

On that note, Subaru and Panasonic will hold a meeting with a view of the latter supplying the former with next-generation automotive batteries. The said power cells will be used in future BEVs produced by the Shibuya-based carmaker.

To this end, Subaru will build a dedicated BEV plant scheduled to be constructed in Gunma, Japan.

“Subaru is accelerating its electrification and other initiatives by setting a roadmap toward 2050, with the aim of contributing to the realization of a carbon-neutral society. Panasonic Energy will work to achieve this goal as a partner by supplying its high-quality, high-performance cylindrical lithium-ion batteries, which have had a successful track record in the market for years,” Subaru wrote in a press release.

Through the said partnership, Subaru and Panasonic Energy stated that the two companies will contribute to the development of the automotive and battery industries and help solve social issues, such as maintaining employment in the region and developing human resources.

At the time of writing, the only electric vehicle (EV) offered by Subaru is the Solterra. In the United States, two new models are planned for release, namely the BRZ tS and the Crosstrek. It is still not certain if the two aforementioned models will get BEV variants. But if they will, it is highly possible that they will be fitted with Panasonic batteries.

Moreover, Subaru will reportedly release three new EV models by 2026.

Photos from Subaru Japan and Panasonic

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