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OO RUEHAST RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHTM RUEHTRO
DE RUEHOK #0076/01 1270237
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 070237Z MAY 09
FM AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1373
INFO RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 8495
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO PRIORITY 0262
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA PRIORITY 2391
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA PRIORITY 0254
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RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 1155
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 0072
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0042
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 0018
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0213
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OSAKA KOBE 000076 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
COMMERCE FOR ITA BRICKMAN AND SANTILLO 
 
DOE FOR PI BISCONTI AND EE CHALK AND KIMBIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: BEXP EINV ENRG ECON JA
SUBJECT:  GS Yuasa: Economic Downturn Assault on Lithium 
Ion Battery Producer 
 
OSAKA KOBE 00000076  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: Tucked into a corner of Japan's 
cultural center of Kyoto is GS Yuasa Corporation (GSYC), 
a cutting edge producer of new greener battery 
technologies for use in hybrid and electric vehicles. 
GSYC's research ventures and projects with widely known 
companies such as Honda, Mitsubishi Motors, Sanyo, NASA 
and Boeing indicate high regard for the company's prowess 
in battery technology. However, GSYC has attempted to 
pour more resources into its lithium-ion battery 
production for use in hybrid and electric vehicles just 
as its revenue streams have been cut by the economic 
downturn and especially the downturn in the automobile 
industry.  Compounding GSYC's revenue stream challenges, 
the company is the contract supplier for Boeing's delayed 
787 Dreamliner project.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Formed by merger in 2004 of two of Japan's 
oldest battery companies, Nihon Denchi Corporation and 
Yuasa Corporation, GS Yuasa Corporation (GSYC) operates 
worldwide and maintains several U.S. subsidiaries, 
including Georgia based GS Yuasa Lithium Power.  Still 
the world's third largest supplier of lead-acid 
automotive batteries, the company produces a variety of 
unique battery lines including batteries for use in 
satellites, airplanes and deep sea submarines and GSYC's 
business has steadily shifted away from lead-acid 
batteries into lithium-ion batteries, currently the most 
advanced battery technology, highly sought after by 
automakers.  The percentage of the company's annual 
investment in lithium-ion batteries jumped from eight 
percent in 2008 to 31 percent in 2009. 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
Joint Venture Partners: Honda, Mitsubishi and Sanyo 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
¶3.  (SBU) In 2009, GSYC established a joint venture with 
Honda Motors to develop and produce lithium-ion batteries 
for Honda's second generation Civic hybrid and its next 
generation hybrid vehicles.  GYSC officials told us that 
the goal of the joint venture is to produce lithium-ion 
batteries that are more compact, lightweight and powerful 
than existing batteries, but at greatly reduced 
production costs in the range of US 50 cents per watt, 
one fourth of the current cost of Y200 per watt (USD$2). 
(Note: Sanyo Electric Company supplied batteries for the 
Insight, Honda's first hybrid vehicle, but Sanyo's merger 
with Panasonic, the supplier of batteries for Toyota 
hybrid vehicles, likely played a role in Honda's decision 
to shift to GSYC as its supplier.  End Note.) 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) In a separate joint venture project with 
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) and its parent, 
Mitsubishi Corporation, GSYC began mass production of 
lithium-ion batteries in August 2008 at its subsidiary, 
Lithium Energy Japan in Shiga Prefecture.  The batteries 
produced at the Shiga plant will be used to power MMC's 
plug-in electric vehicle, the MiEV, that press reports 
suggest will be launched as early as summer 2009. 
However, according to Katsuyuki Ono, Managing Director of 
GSYC and concurrently, President of Lithium Energy Japan, 
MMC will begin commercial production of the MiEV in 2010 
or 2011.  He told us that MMC believes it must first cut 
the current production price of approximately Y4 million 
(USD $40,000) in half for successful commercialization. 
A plug-in EV, the MiEV's batteries can be fully recharged 
in seven hours at 200V (15A) electricity or 14 hours at 
the standard currency output in Japan of 100V (15A). 
 
¶5.  (SBU) GSYC officials highlighted that its joint 
 
OSAKA KOBE 00000076  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
ventures with Honda and Mitsubishi are not exclusive and 
stressed that the company is happy to supply its 
batteries to U.S. automotive companies or to other 
commercial users.  They were roundly dismissive of Ford's 
selection, in February 2009, of Johnson Controls-Saft as 
the supplier of lithium-ion batteries for its plug-in 
vehicle.  GSYC officials also told us that they expect 
the company's joint venture work with Sanyo developing 
lithium-ion batteries for use in cellular phones, digital 
cameras, and portable audio sets will continue even after 
Sanyo mergers with Panasonic, the supplier to Toyota and 
GSYC's competitor in lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and 
electric vehicles. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Elite Supplier to NASA and Boeing, but . . . 
-------------------------------------------- 
¶6. (SBU) NASA and Boeing use GSYC's lithium-ion batteries 
in its satellites and aircraft, and GSYC officials 
proudly showed us the largest lithium-ion battery in the 
world, specifically designed for use in Boeing B787 
Dreamliner.  Manager of the Corporate Strategic Planning 
Division, Ken Sawai added however, that the long wait for 
start of commercial production of the B787 has greatly 
affected GSYC's revenue flows.  However, GYSC's 
transition toward becoming a supplier of cutting edge 
lithium-ion batteries is now firmly established.  During 
the recent economic downturn, GYSC officials have noted a 
growing gap in revenue between newer business areas in 
which demand is still booming, such as lithium-ion 
batteries for electric vehicles and hybrid electric 
vehicles, and its older business areas such as lead-acid 
automotive batteries and small lithium-ion batteries for 
use in cellular phone, digital cameras and similar 
commercial products. 
 
DONG