Date: 15th July 2010

Panasonic's lithium ion batteries to power solar cars in solar car race 2010

Panasonic said it is providing its 3.1 Ah high-capacity lithium-ion batteries to the Nuon Solar Team of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and the OSU Team of Osaka Sangyo University in Japan to support their participation in the Dream Cup Solar Car Race Suzuka 2010 to be held at the Suzuka International Racing Course in Suzuka City, western Japan, on July 31 and August 1. Panasonic's batteries will be used to store solar-generated power in their vehicles.

The Dream Cup Solar Car Race Suzuka, recognized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), was started in 1992. It is a part of the Global Green Challenge (GCC) in Australia.

Solar cars use motors that run on electricity generated by solar panels. Excess electricity is stored in their batteries. The batteries supply electricity to the motor when the electricity from the solar panel is insufficient due to overcast skies or at night. In other words, the performance of solar cars in races depends not only on the capability of their solar panels but also the capacity of the batteries and the weight of the battery pack.

The Panasonic batteries provided to both teams are cylindrical 18650-type (18 mm in diameter, 65 mm in height) 3.1 Ah high-capacity lithium-ion batteries. The batteries feature a high energy density generated using the nickel based positive electrode technology. These batteries are light and high-capacity.

Panasonic supplied its 18650-type high-capacity lithium-ion batteries to the Challenge Center Team of Tokai University, who won in 2009 World Solar Challenge.