Subaru Corporation and Panasonic Energy announced that they have started talks to build a medium- to long-term partnership to meet demand for battery electric vehicles and automotive batteries in a rapidly expanding market.
Subaru and Panasonic Energy will hold discussions with a view to Panasonic Energy supplying Subaru with next-generation automotive cylindrical lithium-ion batteries, and Subaru installing batteries purchased from Panasonic Energy in BEVs to be produced from the latter half of the 2020s at its sites, including a dedicated BEV plant scheduled to be constructed in Gunma, Japan.
Subaru is accelerating its electrification and other initiatives by setting a roadmap toward 2050, with the aim of contributing to the realization of a carbon-neutral society. Panasonic Energy will work to achieve this goal as a partner by supplying its high-quality, high-performance cylindrical lithium-ion batteries, which have had a successful track record in the market for years.
Through the establishment of this partnership, Subaru and Panasonic Energy will contribute to the development of the automotive and battery industries and will help solve social issues, such as maintaining employment in the region and developing human resources.
Currently Subaru offers solely one all-electric model, the Solterra electric SUV, which is built upon Toyota’s eTNGA platform and shares similarities with the Toyota bZ4X. However, Subaru plans to expand its electric vehicle lineup by commencing production of its own electric cars in 2025. Initially, these electric models will be produced alongside internal combustion engine vehicles on a mixed assembly line. Subsequently, in 2027, Subaru aims to inaugurate a dedicated factory solely for the production of pure electric cars.
