Subaru Corporation and Panasonic Energy, a Panasonic Group Company, plan to prepare for the supply of automotive lithium-ion batteries and joint establishment of a new battery factory in Oizumi, Gunma Prefecture, Japan.
Panasonic Energy will supply its next-generation cylindrical automotive lithium-ion batteries for the battery electric vehicles (BEVs) Subaru plans to produce from the latter half of the 2020s. This follows their conclusion of a basic cooperative agreement and reflects their aim of establishing a medium- to long-term partnership.
Subaru has set a goal of having 50% of its 1.2 million global sales in 2030 be BEVs and, in conjunction with Panasonic Energy, will address the expanding demand for BEVs and automotive batteries.
As part of this collaboration, Panasonic Energy will produce and supply cylindrical lithium-ion batteries at its Suminoe factory in Osaka from fiscal 2027, and at the new jointly established lithium-ion battery factory in Oizumi, Gunma Prefecture from fiscal 2028. Subaru plans to install these batteries in its BEVs.
The annual production capacity for battery cells at the two domestic bases above for this project is planned to reach 20 GWh by 2030, significantly increasing Panasonic Energy’s domestic production capacity.
The Japanese government has strategically positioned storage batteries as a key asset of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and is working to expand the domestic battery supply chains and improve industrial competitiveness. Through this collaboration, Subaru and Panasonic Energy are poised to contribute to the strengthening of the domestic supply chain for cylindrical automotive lithium-ion batteries, while also expanding and enhancing Japan’s manufacturing base.