Toyota to make lithium batteries for hybrids

$120m

Toyota's first-ever production lines for lithium ion batteries at its plant in Aichi Prefecture and at a factory operated with Panasonic Corp in Shizuoka Prefecture are slated to cost the carmaker 10 billion yen ($120 million)

2012 100.000 plug-in hybrids for Japan EU US

Li-Ion battery

The two facilities combined will make batteries for about 100,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles a year. Toyota plans to release these vehicles in Japan, the United States and Europe at the start of 2012, the paper said.

Comment: NiMH batteries replaced by Li-Ion

source:reuters.com

Lithium mining and Electric cars batteries report

Orocobre Limited (TSX:ORL; ASX:ORE).

signed an offtake agreement and development program with Toyota Tsusho. Equity injection by Toyota into Orocobre's Salar de Olaroz lithium project in Argentina.