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Nissan set to boost battery output to supply automaker

Japan’s Nissan Motor Co plans to invest ¥50 billion (US$554 million) to boost battery production for electric vehicles produced by its French partner Renault, a report said yesterday.

Automotive Energy Supply Corp, Nissan’s joint venture with the NEC group, will upgrade its plant for lithium ion batteries in Kanagawa prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, the Nikkei Shimbun daily reported.

Nissan, Japan’s third largest automaker, is to invest up to ¥20 billion in the upgrade aimed to supply 35,000 batteries to Renault, which plans to launch electric vehicles in 2011, the newspaper said.

NEW PLANT

Nissan separately plans to invest some ¥30 billion to jointly build a new plant with Renault in France to supply lithium ion batteries for Renault’s electric cars, it said.

The Franco-Japanese group is expected to begin operation at the new plant by 2012, and aims to supply batteries for around 60,000 cars, Nikkei said.

The two firms will use a low-interest loan facility offered by the French government for green cars, it said, adding that they also plan to share motors and other key components of electric vehicles to cut production costs.

ZERO-EMISSION

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said last month his company aims to make rechargeable batteries for electric cars one of its key businesses, predicting a bright future for zero-emission vehicles.

Nissan, which is falling behind Toyota Motor Corp and other rivals in hybrid vehicles, plans to launch its first electric car, the Leaf, late next year.
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