Assembly - February 2009 - (Page 39) easy • accurate • automatic ALL NEW DSP Sensor The Ultimate in Handheld Laser Profilers This in-wheel motor can achieve a top speed of 124 mph. The hub bearing incorporates both a thin-type motor and a reduction gear. Photo courtesy AISIN World Corp. of America Bosch GmbH (Stuttgart, Germany) and Samsung SDI (Suwon, South Korea) recently created a joint-venture called SB LiMotive. They plan to invest up to $400 million over the next four years to develop lithium-ion technology for automotive applications. Two of the biggest players in the lithium-ion battery market, Panasonic Corp. (Osaka, Japan) and Sanyo Electric Co. (Osaka, Japan), which have a strategic partnership with Toyota, are in the process of merging their operations. Another key player, GS Yuasa Corp. (Kyoto, Japan), which is involved in a joint-venture with Mitsubishi, is currently building the world’s first massproduction assembly line for automotive lithium-ion batteries. Concerned that the United States is falling behind other countries, a consortium of battery manufacturers recently joined forces with Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne, IL) to form the National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Battery Cell Manufacture. It hopes to build a manufacturing and prototype development center in the United States. “A small, fragmented battery industry will not survive in the face of determined Asian competition,” warns Ralph Brodd, a battery consultant based in Henderson, NV. A startup company called A123 Systems Inc. (Watertown, MA) just announced that it plans to build several world-class lithium-ion battery manufacturing facilities in the United States. The first assembly plant will be located near Detroit to serve customers such as Chrysler. The company has submitted an application under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program to qualify for more than $1.8 billion in loans to fund its ambitious massproduction effort. David Vieau, A123’s president and CEO, claims that the project will enable his company to supply battery systems for 5 million hybrid vehicles or 500,000 plug-in electric vehicles per year by 2013. “We’re entering an exciting new phase for the automotive industry where we increase the electrification of vehicles, reducing consumption of gasoline through advanced batteries,” Vieau points out. “This new facility would greatly accelerate this change and help ensure that the American economy replaces its dependence on foreign oil with reliance on advanced, homegrown batteries.” A Run it in Standalone Mode •No cable, no tether to an external device •Use as a data collector or Go/No-Go Gage •View and save data •Integral battery 4 hour run time •Weighs 20 ounces with battery Or Use it as a USB Device With Your Laptop or Tablet PC •Enhanced graphics and data analysis •Automatically save every scan •Run inspection routines •Compare results from different algorithms on the same scan ASSEMBLY ONLINE To learn more about green cars, click www.assemblymag.com to read these articles: New Players Reach for the Sky. Putting Cars on a Diet. The Hybrid Challenge. www.origintech.com 256-461-1313 www.assemblymag.com February 2009 / ASSE M B LY 39 http://www.origintech.com http://www.origintech.com http://www.assemblymag.com http://www.assemblymag.com
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