Panasonic Begins Mass Production of Automotive Batteries in China

Panasonic has begun mass production of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and other electrified vehicles at a new factory in China. The plant which is located in Dalian will deal with the production of batteries for the local market.

The Chinese market is currently the largest automotive market in the world. Later on, the batteries will also be supplied to other countries across the world for use in pure electric and other environmentally friendly vehicles.

Panasonic has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in this new plant though it has not divulged the details of the financial investment. Currently, only a part of the plant has been constructed and this area is being used for the production of prismatic batteries. The company has plans for using the remaining space for making other kinds of automotive batteries.
Panasonic has factories dealing with the production of batteries in Japan and the United States.

The Chinese government has plans introduce a law according to which automotive manufacturers operating in the country have to make a minimum number of new energy vehicles. This law is expected to come into effect from 2019 and is likely to boost the demand for automotive batteries in the Chinese market.

Currently, Panasonic is the biggest producer of automotive lithium-ion batteries in the world, but several Chinese rivals have recently been investing heavy amounts in setting up facilities to become serious challengers to Panasonic.