Honda and Coda look towards Chinese Battery Technology for their Electric Vehicles

China is leading US in Clean Energy Manufacturing while it lags behind the US in Technology .While the US government is only thinking that they might lose the clean energy leadership to the Chinese,the Reality is that they are already behind in the Clean Technology Race.This is being confirmed from actions by US as well as Japanese firms looking to China for Clean Technology.China is proposing to give a subsidy of as much as 60,000 yuan per Electric Vehicle which would automatically move a large part of Battery Manufacturing and Technology to China.Note China is already the biggest market for automobiles surpassing US last year.

Honda which is one of the top automakers in the world known for its high quality is also looking to China to develop batteries for its future Electric Vehicles.Honda  has been a laggard in the EV space unlike its Japanese peers  Toyota (Prius) and Nissan (Leaf) . Honda considers China to be a leader in Battery Technology and  thinks China will be its biggest market overtaking US in the coming years.

California startup Coda was also forced to look at China for developing Battery Technology.It partnered with a Chinese company ianjin Lishen Battery Joint-stock Co. and will use this technology in setting up a Battery plant in Ohio.The lack of any big Battery player in US forced Coda to look to China.I am pretty sure that Coda would have produced the Battery packs in China if not for the high transportation costs.

Duke Energy is also being forced to look to China for technology in the Renewable Energy segment as US continues to dither and play petty games on the Energy and Climate Bills.Both of the above examples show that China is taking the lead not only in Manufacturing but also in Technology in the Green Industry.

Honda eyes China to develop car batteries – Economic Times

Honda Motor Co is interested to develop electric car batteries in China to tap the country’s technology and vast resources, its chief executive said, adding that a breakthrough was needed to bring the zero-emission cars into the mainstream. Having surpassed the United States as the world’s biggest auto market last year, China has become an increasingly important battleground for global automakers, which are keenly awaiting Beijing’s policy on the promotion of greener cars.

U.S., China Firms To Make Electric-Car Batteries in Ohio – WSJ

A California-based electric-car startup—Coda Automotive—will build a factory in Ohio that could employ more than 1,000 workers initially and that will use Chinese technology to produce automotive-grade lithium-ion batteries for an all-electric car the U.S. company plans to launch in California later this year.The deal is a rare example of a U.S. auto maker having to tap a Chinese company for high technology. Another unusual facet of the venture is the creation of manufacturing jobs both in China and the U.S.Initially, Coda plans to bring in batteries from Tianjin, China, where Coda recently opened a battery plant it jointly owns and runs with Tianjin Lishen Battery Joint-stock Co. with capacity to produce more than 20,000 battery packs a year. But because electric-car-grade, lithium-ion batteries are heavy and expensive to ship across the Pacific, Coda has been searching for a production site in the U.S., finally settling this week on Ohio.