Battery pack - who makes them ?

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ankurshah

New member
Joined
May 18, 2010
Messages
4
For the Nissan Leaf's battery, I understand that AESC is providing the batteries. Does AESC actually make the entire battery pack? Or does Nissan assemble the individual cells together in a pack?

Thanks
 
I have consolidated your post to the most logical area to prevent multiple threads on the same topic. Welcome to the forum.
 
AESC is a joint venture between Nissan and NEC.

"Nissan Motor Company, NEC Corporation, and its subsidiary, NEC TOKIN, have signed an agreement to establish a joint-venture company – Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) – to focus on lithium-ion battery business for wide-scale automotive application by 2009."
 
It's hard to figure out, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do the pack integration as well... here is their web page on the modules.

http://www.eco-aesc.com/en/bmodule.html

and

http://www.eco-aesc.com/en/bpack.html
 
ankurshah said:
For the Nissan Leaf's battery, I understand that AESC is providing the batteries. Does AESC actually make the entire battery pack? Or does Nissan assemble the individual cells together in a pack?

Thanks

Accounting and tax reporting aside, I think we can assume that for practical purposes AESC is Nissan.
 
AndyH said:
Accounting and tax reporting aside, I think we can assume that for practical purposes AESC is Nissan.

This is the important point. It is majority owned by Nissan.

Nissan Motor., Co.:51%/NEC Group 49%

Unlike some other JVs, the thing to note here is that Nissan owns the battery chemistry. They have a JV with NEC to get their know-how on volume manufacturing of batteries.
 
Even if we know who "assembles" the battery pack, what difference does it make?

Does who makes the headlight assembly, windshield, or steering wheel really matter very much?

The important thing is that they are getting the job done, and that their technology is "close to home".
 
it matters because Nissan and other manufacturers outsource some parts to smaller companies who specialize in that area. These smaller companies want to know if they can maybe sell thier product to auto giants. For example, if I supply material for a steering wheel, I would like to know if the auto company creates their own steering wheel or if some smaller company designs it. That's why I am curious.
 
I imagine the specific suppliers, if outside (or inside) the Nissan "umbrella", are not openly listed anywhere.

What specific parts are you wanting to supply to Nissan? (just curious)
 
garygid - kind of off topic, but the subassembly supplier really does matter. Have you been following the Toyota stuck accelerator recalls? Japanese produced accelerator pedals do not stick. Canadian produced ones have.

For battery cells, the quality of material available for soldering the leads will matter. If that connection deteriorates, the battery will short or cease to function. Some third world countries do not have the metallurgy production capabilities for pure end products. If the battery assembly is outsourced to Pakistan, the solder may be inferior and could fail sooner.
 
OK, I understand now, thanks.

Certainly, ongoing quality control at all stages of "construction"
is critical if one wants to produce a quality product.

It would be interesting to know the real story of how the "sticky"
Canadian gas pedals (if any) came to be used in the Prius.
 
Alright this helps, I guess for practical purposes, AESC is basically Nissan. Anyone know why Nissan would create AESC?
 
ankurshah said:
Alright this helps, I guess for practical purposes, AESC is basically Nissan. Anyone know why Nissan would create AESC?
Tesla created a "Tesla Energy Group" division in the company for selling Tesla battery technology to others. Perhaps Nissan is planning something similar, but chose to create a separate company instead of just a division.
 
ankurshah said:
Alright this helps, I guess for practical purposes, AESC is basically Nissan. Anyone know why Nissan would create AESC?

Because it is a JV (joint venture). Notice that Nissan owns just over 50% ...
 
ankurshah said:
Alright this helps, I guess for practical purposes, AESC is basically Nissan. Anyone know why Nissan would create AESC?

Joint Ventures (most of which don't work, but this one appears to have), are usually formed because two companies, that are not directly competitive, do not have the technical and/or financial resources to solve some issue or enter a market. It also spreads the risk to two parties, instead of having to carry it solo.The nightmare ones are those with a 50/50 ownership split which inevitably leads to a giant clash of egos and gridlock. In this one, the senior partner, Nissan, has more than 50%, which at least puts someone in charge.
 
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