GS Yuasa Corp. has decided to buy 4.4 hectares of land adjacent to the electric-vehicle lithium ion battery plant it will build in Ritto, Shiga Prefecture, in anticipation of expanding the facility.
- GS Yuasa is gearing up for increased demand for electric-vehicle lithium ion batteries.
The GS Yuasa, Mitsubishi Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. joint venture Lithium Energy Japan will break ground on the plant Wednesday. To be built on land once planned to be used for a Shinkansen bullet train station, the plant will be built on a 5.6-hectare lot.
GS Yuasa decided to go solo in buying the adjacent land. Although the company has yet to decide how to use the extra land, it is expected to expand the plant, ramping up output of lithium ion batteries, depending on market trends.
The Lithium Energy Japan facility is due to begin output at the start of fiscal 2012, churning out enough cells for 50,000 cars. Expansions to the plant could double production volume.
Besides the Ritto plant, GS Yuasa will form a joint venture with Mitsubishi and global autoparts maker Magna International Inc. to build an electric-vehicle lithium ion battery plant in Europe.
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