Nissan, NEC to make hybrid batteries

ZAMA, Japan, May 19 (UPI) -- Nissan Motor Co. and NEC Corp. will make 65,000 hybrid batteries.

The two announced that their joint venture for advanced lithium-ion batteries will manufacture 65,000 batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles in 2011.

The joint firm, Automotive Energy Supply Corp., is expected to launch full operations in 2009, with production in the year totaling 13,000 units.

The lithium-ion batteries to be manufactured by the joint firm, which is owned 51 percent by Nissan and 49 percent by NEC, are capable of producing twice as much electricity as conventional nickel metal hydride batteries.

By launching the battery firm, Nissan's goal is to catch up with other automakers in the eco-friendly vehicle market.

AESC, which was started in April 2007, plans to invest more than $115 million over the next three years to introduce new battery production lines at Nissan's auto assembly plant in Zama, Kanagawa prefecture, southwest of Tokyo.

In response to increasing concern about global warming, automakers are working to develop more eco-friendly vehicles.