It looks like Daimler AG doesn't plan to rely solely on suppliers for lithium ion batteries going forward. Traditionally, automakers prefer to keep most powertrain development in-house as one of the primary differentiators from other manufacturers. As these companies move forward into hybrid and electric drive vehicles, the battery pack is becoming an ever-more integral part of the powertrain.
Daimler has launched a joint venture with Evonik to develop lithium ion batteries. Daimler will apparently own 90 percent of the JV. Evonik already manufactures electrodes and separators for batteries and recently purchased a stake in Li-Tec. Evonik's electrodes are based on lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide chemistry. So far, there is no indication of when the JV will start producing batteries.
[Source: Green Car Congress]
https://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/14/daimler-to-bring-lithium-batteries-in-house-through-jv-with-evon/
2008-12-14T18:02:00+00:00