Panasonic Energy launches global battery R&D hub in Japan

Panasonic Energy, a Panasonic Group Company, has announced the launch of Energy Innovation Square, a new lithium-ion battery research and development facility in Kadoma, Osaka.

The facility will serve as a global hub for Panasonic Energy’s battery development and production, with capabilities spanning material development, cell design and prototyping, Panasonic said. 

In collaboration with the Suminoe Production Development Facility in Osaka City, Energy Innovation Square will help accelerate the development and mass production of next-generation batteries for automotive and data center applications. 

Technologies and manufacturing processes developed through this collaboration will be deployed across Panasonic Energy’s global manufacturing network, including its facilities in Japan and in Nevada and Kansas in the United States, helping strengthen production competitiveness and better serve customers worldwide.

Energy Innovation Square will bring together approximately 500 employees in cell product planning, technology development and analysis. Together with the Suminoe Production Development Facility, which focuses on manufacturing technology development, the two sites will form a dedicated battery development operation, with a combined workforce of approximately 800 people.

Through close collaboration between the two sites, Panasonic Energy aims to double development efficiency by FY2031 (fiscal year ending March 2031), compared with FY2024, enabling faster product development and a more agile response to growing demand and increasingly diverse customer needs, the company said.

“Energy Innovation Square will serve as a core hub for Panasonic Energy’s battery development, strengthening collaboration from next-generation product development through mass production and enhancing our global competitiveness,” Kazuo Tadanobu, CEO of Panasonic Energy, said. “As battery markets and applications evolve, we will continue to respond swiftly and flexibly to customer needs, drawing on our technological expertise and experience.”