Toyota Motor Corp and BMW AG will join together to research a lithium-air battery expected to be more powerful than the lithium-ion batteries used in many hybrid and electric vehicles according to Reuters.
The two companies also are expected to work on a new fuel cell vehicle system, which reportedly would include a hydrogen tank and motor. The companies expect to release the hydrogen tank motor by 2020.
"In order for FCVs (fuel cell vehicles) to become more widely used, it needs to be cheaper. That would require a great deal of time and cost for development," said Toyota Vice Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada, who led development of the bestselling Prius hybrid in the late 1990s to Reuters.
Toyota is hoping to introduce a new fuel cell vehicle around 2020 by using the jointly developed technology, though BMW said a launch date has yet to be decided. Toyota also hopes to sell a fuel cell sedan by 2015.
Toyota uses lithium-ion batteries in its Prius plug-in hybrid currently, and also in select Prius v models.
"We really share the same vision," BMW AG board member Herbet Diess said at a news conference in Nagoya, central Japan, live-streamed at Toyota's Tokyo office.
The technology is being studied already by many researchers including those who work for IBM. Their goal is to develop a lithium-air battery that will allow electric vehicles to run 500 miles on a single charge.
BMW and Toyota would work on a shared platform and technology for a mid-sized vehicle, most likely a sports car, and develop technologies to that allow cars to be more fuel-efficient and lighter according to Reuters.
Toyota agreed in 2011 to collaborate with BMW on lithium-ion battery research in exchange for a supply of BMW-made diesel engines in 2014.
"By bringing together the wisdom of two companies, we can aim to make FCVs more popular much quicker," said Uchiyamada in a news conference with BMW at Nagoya, central Japan.
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