Panasonic Energy, H&T Partner To Supply Li-ion Battery Cans To US

Panasonic Energy, H&T Partner To Supply Li-ion Battery Cans To US

Panasonic Energy a Panasonic Group Company today announced it has signed a long-term agreement with H&T Recharge, a leading battery component manufacturer, for the supply of lithium-ion battery cans in North America, with the aim of expanding its production of safe electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

Panasonic Energy and H&T have collaborated since 2017, with H&T supplying approximately 40 GWh of battery can capacity annually to Panasonic Energy’s Nevada facility. The new agreement will extend H&T’s supply to Panasonic Energy’s Kansas facility, which is scheduled to begin operations by March 2025. H&T plans to further enhance productivity and quality by implementing new state-of-the-art production lines that will allow them to supply battery cans with an anticipated annual capacity of approximately 30 GWh to the Kansas facility.

To meet the growing global demand for EVs, Panasonic Energy is committed to expanding the production of EV batteries and improving their performance and durability, thereby extending driving range. Ensuring safety is also crucial, particularly in terms of mitigating thermal runaway incidents when they are modularized for installation in EVs, and to this end, the company’s lithium-ion batteries are designed and manufactured using components optimized for the entire cell, including the battery cans, to reduce the incidence of issues such as cell rupture and ignition.

Complementing this commitment to safety, H&T possesses unique in-house deep drawing press and tool design capabilities, as well as several decades of high-volume serial can manufacturing experience. All key processes on the company’s production line concepts in North America are fully automated, ensuring stable and efficient mass production and consistent quality. Panasonic Energy’s partnership with H&T is part of the company’s strategy to strengthen its supply chains in North America by increasing the level of local procurement of battery components. This will in turn reduce both the company’s carbon footprint and its transportation costs as H&T plans to have a facility in Kansas as well. Leveraging its advanced battery technology and extensive expertise, Panasonic Energy is committed to working with diverse partners to further develop the global lithium-ion battery industry, with the ultimate aim of helping to achieve a more sustainable society.