HEV Supply Chain VastHEV Supply Chain Vast

Ford Motor Co. announced plans in September to boost hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) production to 250,000 units annually by 2010, and it acknowledged that cultivating a U.S. supply infrastructure would be one of the hurdles.

That is because today, more than 90% of hybrid vehicles are built in Japan and, as a result, the preponderance of component makers are Japanese.

Moreover, both HEV volume leaders Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. produce many key hybrid systems and components in-house.

For the current Prius, launched in September 2003, Toyota makes the car's 1.5L Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine at its Kamigo plant; the motor-generator and power-split device at its Honsha facility; and key electronic components, such as the power module, inverter and brake regeneration and power steering controllers, at its Hirose plant.

Meanwhile, Denso Corp., Japan's largest component maker, supplies the car's battery electronic-control unit, electric air-conditioner compressor, current sensor and battery cooling fan.

Panasonic EV Energy Co. and Aisin AW, respectively, make the nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery module and continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Other Prius suppliers include Yazaki Corp. and Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd. (a subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.) for the model's high-voltage wiring and Toshiba Industrial Products Mfg. Corp. (a subsidiary of Toshiba Corp.) for the traction and power-generation motors.

Denso provides the integrated starter-generator for the Estima and Alphard hybrids, along with the DC-DC converter, current sensor, high-voltage main relay, battery cooling fan and CVT oil-pump motor.

For the Crown Hybrid, Denso makes the integrated starter-generator and 42-volt inverter. The Kluger and Harrier hybrids, including their export versions, receive their hybrid control computer, battery-monitoring unit, DC-DC converter, electric air-conditioner compressor, battery-cooling fan and current sensor from Denso.

Panasonic EV Energy supplies the battery module for the Estima, Alphard, Kluger and Harrier hybrids. Aisin AW supplies the CVT for all four models.

Toyota produces the 3.3L gasoline engine for the Kluger, Harrier and Prius hybrids at its Kamigo plant; the motor-generator and power-split device at its Honsha plant; and the inverter and power module assembly (also manufactured by Denso) at its Hirose plant.

Honda made several changes in its supplier base in developing the Accord Hybrid. Sanyo Electric Co. became the exclusive battery supplier for the car. It shared the contract with Panasonic EV Energy for the Civic Hybrid. For the new Civic Hybrid, which was launched in September, Panasonic EV Energy was named the exclusive supplier.

Shindengen Electric Mfg. Co., a leading maker of power conversion products, was tapped to supply the Accord Hybrid's DC/DC converter. TDK Corp. has that contract for the Civic Hybrid.

Most other suppliers remain unchanged. Keihin Corp., Honda's electronics affiliate, supplies the motor and battery ECU for both models. Mitsubishi Electric Corp. provides the front motor inverter for the Accord Hybrid, while the motor inverter for the Civic Hybrid is produced in-house.

Meanwhile, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. produces the junction board and current sensor.

Other suppliers include Sanden Corp., for the car's special air-conditioner compressor, and Showa Corp., Honda's main steering-system supplier, for the model's electronic power-steering unit.

While Sumitomo Wiring and Yazaki shared high-voltage wiring for the first Civic Hybrid, the companies split the contract for the new Civic and Accord hybrids, with Yazaki supplying the Accord and Sumitomo the Civic.

According to Honda, the new 1.3L engine for the Civic Hybrid, when combined with an improved motor-assist system, achieves 20% more power than the existing unit (equivalent to a 1.8L engine), while reducing fuel consumption 5%.

The motor-assist system, like the one employed in other Honda hybrids, is expected to be supplied by Honda Engineering Co. Ltd.

Ford turned to Sanyo Electric for the 330-volt battery pack for its Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrids, both of which are produced at the auto maker's Kansas City, MO, plant in the U.S.

In addition to Sanyo, Ford sources the models' electronically controlled CVT-transaxle from Aisin AW, power electronics from Mitsubishi Electric, and high-voltage wiring from Yazaki and Lear Corp. Specifically, Yazaki supplies high-voltage wiring and connectors.

Meanwhile, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., which launched the limited production Tino Hybrid five years ago, will employ the latest Toyota technology for its next-generation model due in 2006.

The car, an HEV version of the next-generation Altima sedan, will be produced at Nissan's Smyrna, TN, plant in the U.S. and will incorporate key Prius systems, such as the “intelligent” power module, inverter and CVT-transaxle.

Nissan has not said whether it will purchase these systems from Toyota and Toyota suppliers or whether the company will arrange for them to be produced under license by its own supplier group.

This includes Hitachi Ltd., Hitachi-Unisia Automotive (formerly Unisia Jecs Corp. and now a Hitachi subsidiary) and JATCO Ltd. (a Nissan subsidiary owned jointly with Mitsubishi Motors Corp.).

Hitachi, in particular, continues to be active in developing motors, inverters, motor-generators, starter-generators and powertrain control units.

Subsidiary and affiliated companies, including Hitachi-Unisia Automotive and Shin-Kobe Electric Machinery Co. Ltd., are active in developing electronic steering and braking systems and batteries.

And despite the fact that Hitachi's main customer, Nissan, has fallen behind Toyota and Honda in the hybrid race, the company continues to make steady progress in reducing motor size and weight while increasing specific power.

Management says it wants to be ready for Nissan's third-generation hybrid, due about 2010, if the current timetable holds.

Meanwhile, Nissan has yet to announce whether it will opt for Panasonic EV Energy's NiMH battery or turn to its own manganese-lithium unit, displayed at the 2003 Tokyo show and believed to have been developed jointly with NEC Corp.

A prototype, used in the Effis concept fuel-cell vehicle and X-Trail FCV, is believed to be of the same basic design as the one adopted by Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. for its concept hybrid, the B9 Scrambler.

All three vehicles were exhibited at the show. Nissan would not confirm whether the lithium battery used in the Pivo, its main concept car at this year's Tokyo show, is an improved version of the Effis unit.

A senior Nissan research engineer says no decision has been made on cell numbers and voltage. Each module in the prototype incorporated eight cells, compared with six for the Prius modules.

The official says Nissan planned to raise specific power to 3 kW/kg in 2005 and longer term to 3.5 kW/kg. He notes that 3 kW/kg already has been achieved at the Nissan Tech Center.

Meanwhile, Fuji and NEC established a joint venture (NEC Lamilion Energy Ltd.) in May 2002, to develop manganese lithium-ion batteries for cars.

The company had said it hoped to begin mass production in 2005, but it now says launch is being delayed a couple of years.

Long-term, most observers expect lithium-ion to prevail over NiMH because of the material's greater power density, but the timeframe is not clear.

Jan-Roger Linna, director-auto and engine technologies at TIAX LLC, believes the switchover will begin around 2010.

“Lithium-ion is fundamentally a better technology,” he says. “Thus, long term, it is the logical winner.”

Per Onnerud, director of electrochemistry and materials at TIAX, which has been involved in lithium-ion battery research for well over a decade, adds, “The deciding factor, after all safety issues are resolved, is watts-per-kg. Lithium-ion has achieved power densities of 4-kW/kg, double the best NiMH levels of 2-kW/kg.”

For the moment, Sanyo and Matsushita (through its joint venture with Toyota and Panasonic EV Energy) dominate the NiMH market. Panasonic EV Energy has been selling NiMH batteries to Toyota and Honda for nearly a decade.

Toyota recently announced it would up its stake in Panasonic EV energy to 60% from 40%, effectively making the JV a Toyota subsidiary and increasing its control of the industry's hybrid parts infrastructure.

Sanyo entered the market in 2001, when Honda gave it a share of the Civic Hybrid contract (along with Panasonic EV Energy). It added Ford in 2004, with the launch of the Escape Hybrid.

It is not clear which company has the better technology, as both point to superior power output and packaging. Sanyo employs a conventional cylindrical structure, while Panasonic EV Energy switched to a brick-shaped or “prismatic” format with the upgrade of the Prius in 2001.

Onnerud speculates that, depending on how the battery is packed into the module, it is conceivable prismatic makes better use of space.

Hybrid Battery Comparison