NewsBriefs: Battery Makers on the Move; EPA Awards $5.6 Million for Clean Diesel

NewsBriefs: Battery Makers on the Move; EPA Awards $5.6 Million for Clean Diesel

By John O'Dell July 22, 2010

Japanese electronics giant Hitachi says it expects global sales of hybrids and electric-drive vehicles to quintuple by the end of 2020 and thatit is looking at building lithium-ion battery factories outside of Japan to help handle what it expects to be a crush or orders from various automakers.

Hitachi isn't alone:

• South Korea's LG Chem said it is considering adding lithium-ion battery manufacturing capacity in China and Europe to help it meet anticipate demand from EV makers. The expansion could begin as early as 2013, company CEO Kim Bahn-suk told a reporter from the Korea Herald.

• Another South Korea battery company, SK Energy, said it has entered a deal to supply rechargeable batteries to the Hyundai-Kia automotive group for the Hyundai i10 EV that's slated to begin production by the end of the year and for additional Hyundai and Kia EVs that would begin hitting the market at the end of 2011.

On the commercial diesel front, the federal EPA has announced $5.6 million in clean diesel grants in Texas, Washington  and California:

• Puget Sound Clean Air Agency got $1.2 million for a seawater scrubber that removes pollution from large ship engines.
• The University of Houston got $1 million for NOx reduction systems for school buses.
• Southern California's South Coast Air Quality Management District received $1.5 million for a device that captures diesel exhaust fumes from ships in port.
• The California Air Resources Board got almost $1.2 million for a NOx reducing device for locomotive engines.
•  And the Los Angeles Harbor Department received $731,000 for a hybrid diesel-electric crane to be used at the Port of Los Angeles.

John O'Dell:  is an AutoObserver Senior Editor. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.