Toyota and BMW Are Green Collaborating

The Toyota Motor Corp. and BMW Group are working together on next-generation batteries for green vehicles called lithium-air as their collaboration, first announced in late 2011, moves ahead in fuel cells, sports vehicles and other fields.

But both sides said January 24, 2013 that their partnership will not involve a capital alliance while spanning a wide range of technologies for green vehicles.

So... it's not about the green... it's about the green.

The Japanese and German automakers aim to complete a fuel-cell vehicle system by 2020, and a concept for a mid-size sports vehicle by the end of this year.

They will also work together on developing lightweight technologies such as composites, which will help make cars greener.

First up, for the combo is to create a lithium-air battery - not a lithium-ion battery like what has downed the fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner passenger jets.

No, the lithium-air battery will simply be much more powerful than the lithium-ion batteries currently (no pun intended) used in electric vehicles. (Okay, maybe a little pun.)

Of course, the technology has not yet been created, but in theory it must be more powerful than the lithium-ion battery which severally limits the range a vehicle may travel. Not to mention the speed, which I won't. Slllllllooooooooowwwwww.

Toyota and BMW are not alone in trying to develop this technology, but the plan is to have the battery's energy-making process come from the oxygen in the air.

Breathe, damn you! Breathe! It's aliiiiivve!

BMW AG board member Herbert Diess says cooperating with Toyota makes sense, saying the cooperation will help both companies boost competitiveness in new technologies.
“We really share the same vision,” says Diess.

Toyota vice-chairman Uchiyamada Takeshi (surname first) feels that the team-up will mean faster development.

Uchiyamada says both companies share a corporate culture and they have built trust over the past year when an agreement to work on technologies together was signed in June of 2012.

France's PSA Peugeot Citroen and General Motors Co. of the U.S. also have a deal to share in the purchase of parts and services to cut costs.

Toyota already has a joint venture with Peugeot Citroen.

Politics makes strange bedfellows, what with everyone eating popcorn in bed, but so to do automakers. Especially in the backseat.

Will the Toyota-BMW partnership pay dividends? Perhaps.

BMW has a reputation for designing and building sportier, popular vehicles, while Toyota is known for innovation and excellent engineering. Of course, Toyota sometimes has a reputation for producing dull vehicles.

What will be the result of this unholy union? Let's check back in a few months and see what the ultrasound shows.

Cheers
Andrew Joseph
Schematic of lithium-air battery from www.treehugger.com.