GS Yuasa and Honda have announced the name of their new JV company – Blue Energy Co Ltd. It will be established on the 1st of April 2009 and will focus on the manufacturing, sales and R&D activities for high-performance lithium-ion batteries aimed at hybrid vehicle usage.
Blue Energy will be based in Minami-ku, Kyoto and will have 3 billion yen of capital, with a possible increase of capital and capital surplus to 15 billion yen. The investment will be 51% GS Yuasa and 49% Honda Motor. Its president and CEO will be Masahiko Oshitani from GS Yuasa.
A factory for Blue Energy wlil be built next to GS Yuasa’s existing site in Osadano, Kyoto. Blue Energy’s first manufacturing job will be the GS Yuasa EH6, a lithium ion battery that has already been developed.
After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history. An avid electronic gadget aficionado as well as big-time coffee lover, he's also the executive producer of the Driven motoring TV programme.
Question…
Why JV?
What's the benefit?
Is there any advantage/disadvantage, for example
HONDA stays as a company and YUASA stays as
a company and only acted as a vendor supplying
the batteries to HONDA?
Need a large pool of money for R&D costs of next gen of batteries, its better if two companies share the cost.
[quote comment="224065"]Need a large pool of money for R&D costs of next gen of batteries, its better if two companies share the cost.[/quote]
agreed.. especially when both companies will benefit from the new technology that will emerge from this JV.
Two thumbs up !!!
aim = cheaper mass produce Li-ion batt for hybrid car… good enuff 4 me
Hahahh… All this while I thought Yuasa batteries are made locally… never thought it is Japanese…Silly me..