Ford gets a charge out of Panasonic

OSAKA, Japan, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Japanese electronics giant Panasonic Corp. said Friday it would supply Ford Motor Co. with batteries for their hybrid vehicles.

The company said Ford would use Panasonic lithium-ion battery cells for the Ford Fusion hybrid electric, C-Max Hybrid Electric as well as Ford Fusion Energi and C-Max Energi plug-in hybrids, which will be used in conjunction with a gasoline engine.

Panasonic, which is based in Osaka, Japan, said in a statement it expected the demand for eco-friendly vehicles "to grow rapidly."

The two firms, Ford and Panasonic, have a history by proxy. SANYO Electric Co., which was bought by Panasonic in 2011, has been supplying Ford with Ni-MH battery systems since 2004, the company said.