Development of lithium secondary batteries for electric vehicles and home-use load leveling systems

The Lithium Battery Energy Storage Technology Research Association (LIBES) has been conducting R&D on large-scale lithium secondary batteries for use in electric vehicles and home-use load leveling systems as part of the New Sunshine Program by the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) under a contract with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NE DO) since FY 1992. The R&D by LIBES, which is in Phase 2, has developed sev eral hundred Wh class prototype cells of 4 types and 2 or 3 kWh class modul es of each type connecting those cells in series. At the same time, LIBES m ember companies are conducting studies on supporting technologies for the a bove R&D, on the evaluation test, and on next-generation lithium secondary battery technology development. Here we describe the current results and st atus of LIBES's R&D as well as those technological aspects. (C) 1999 Elsevi er Science S.A. All rights reserved.