How is Subaru doing in the electric vehicle race? They've been making significant strides, especially with the recent collaboration with Panasonic Energy. Let's delve into their proactive EV game plan.

Subaru’s EV game plan.

Subaru’s goal is ambitious. They aim to have 50 percent of their 1.2 million global sales in 2030 be battery electric vehicles. This, in conjunction with Panasonic Energy, will address the expanding demand for BEVs and automotive batteries.

A report from Automotive News (by subscription) says Subaru and Panasonic will build a new battery factory near the automaker’s Japanese production hub north of Tokyo. This factory, which is expected to be operational by the end of the decade, will be a key part of Subaru’s EV manufacturing strategy.

The plant will manufacture cylindrical lithium-ion batteries for a lineup of EVs that Subaru plans to produce in the late 2020s. Battery capacity at the new plant will be on top of batteries already slated for delivery from a separate Panasonic plant in 2027.

The annual production capacity for battery cells at the two Japanese plants for this project will reach 20GWh by 2030, significantly increasing Panasonic Energy’s domestic production capacity.