Showa Denko Materials’ Anode Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries Adopted for Toyota’s New “Aqua”

November 04, 2021

Showa Denko Materials Co., Ltd.

Showa Denko Materials Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Hisashi Maruyama) is pleased to announce that its anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (hereinafter “anode materials”) have been adopted as a component of the lithium-ion batteries installed in some model grades of the new hybrid vehicle “Aqua,” launched in July 2021 by Toyota Motor Corporation (President and Representative Director: Akio Toyoda; hereinafter “Toyota”), following the adoption for the hybrid model of the Toyota “Yaris.”
Showa Denko Materials also announces the establishment of a solid patent portfolio for anode materials technologies, including those adopted for vehicles, with multiple technologies patented for particle shapes, sizes, and other properties.

Toyota’s all-new “Aqua” is a hybrid vehicle designed to contribute to carbon neutrality, and has been well-received for its excellent fuel efficiency.
Lithium-ion batteries used for electrified vehicles such as hybrid and electric vehicles require a large-current charging/discharging capacity to improve fuel efficiency. To help these batteries for electrified vehicles efficiently charge/discharge at a large-current, Showa Denko Materials has optimized the particle shapes, sizes, and other properties of anode materials through such acquired technologies as particle design and surface structure control to reduce electrical resistance. Based on its highly evaluated performance, Showa Denko Materials’ product was selected for the Toyota vehicle.

Showa Denko Materials has been applying for patents on anode materials technologies in Japan and overseas since 2008 in order to build a multifaceted patent portfolio for anode materials ranging from structures to physical properties and applications. In 2021, Showa Denko Materials was granted patents on multiple technologies for anode materials with various particle shapes and sizes, including those for the adopted product, through the super accelerated examination* conducted by the Japan Patent Office, thereby successfully establishing a solid patent portfolio.
Showa Denko Materials will actively execute its patent rights to protect its research and development outcomes as well as its products, while further strengthening its patent portfolio to differentiate its own technologies and to maintain and enhance its market superiority.

Showa Denko Materials will continue to provide environmentally friendly products that can contribute to the development of a carbon-neutral, sustainable society.

 

• ※ Super accelerated examination refers to the system that enables a far quicker examination of important applications meeting certain requirements than the ordinary accelerated examination. While the average period from the examination request to the first examination result is 10.2 months under the regular examination (in 2020) and 2.7 months under the accelerated examination (in 2020), the super accelerated examination is conducted within one month from the examination request (within two months, in principle, for applications transferred to the national phase after international applications). (Source: Japan Patent Office Annual Report 2021)

 

• To Japanese