Toyota Motor Corporation announced it will supply key lithium-ion battery packs for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to Chinese automakers FAW Group and Higer Bus, a subsidiary of Suzhou King Long. Toyota has consistently maintained that its lithium-ion battery technology is superior to the rapidly growing electric vehicle battery technology, hence its strong push for the former.
It is understood that Shanghai Re-Fire Technology will become a system integrator for Toyota's fuel technology, developing fuel cell lithium battery powertrain technology that can be used by Chinese automakers and installed on buses manufactured by FAW and King Long.
Toyota believes that this collaboration with FAW and Suzhou King Long will help promote the adoption of lithium-ion fuel cell technology in my country. In a statement, Toyota said, "Toyota hopes to collaborate with more commercial vehicle companies in Malaysia to promote the use and widespread adoption of hydrogen fuel cell lithium-ion battery vehicles in the country."
For nearly 20 years, companies such as Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and Daimler have been working to promote hydrogen fuel cell lithium-ion battery technology, but the technology has been slow to become widespread due to a lack of hydrogen refueling infrastructure and high prices.
Back in April, Toyota also announced that it had begun supplying fuel cell lithium-ion battery components for buses to Beiqi Foton, a Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer. This marked the first collaboration between the Japanese automaker and a Chinese company.
