JCI-Saft to supply lithium ion batteries to BAIC
A joint venture between Johnson Controls Inc. and Saft Groupe SA says it will supply lithium ion batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles to be made by Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co.
Later this year, Beijing Auto will begin producing an evaluation fleet of 2,000 EV versions of the C30 small hatchback and the M30 small crossover.
The company plans a product launch in 2012, said Beijing Auto CEO Dazong Wang in a written statement. The automaker hopes to produce 150,000 hybrids and EVs by 2015, Wang said.
The C30 and M30 EVs can travel more than 100 kilometers on a charge.
Saft, of France, and Johnson Controls, of the United States, are leading global battery producers.
Last year, Johnson Controls announced a major expansion of lead-acid battery production in China, where it makes 3 million batteries annually.
The company is spending $500 million to build four Chinese plants that will produce up to 30 million batteries a year by 2015.
