Toyota eyeing development of practical lithium ion battery

Toyota Motor Corp. will accelerate efforts to develop a practical lithium ion battery to power hybrid motor vehicles in a bid to reinforce its presence in the market for the environment-friendly cars,

The project will be promoted by Panasonic EV Energy Co., a joint venture between Toyota and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. in Kosai, Shizuoka Prefecture, in line with the biggest Japanese automaker’s program to develop a smaller, more powerful hybrid vehicle.