GS Yuasa develops vanadium phosphate cathode for li-ion batteries

GS Yuasa recently dissolved its long-standing, money-losing joint venture with Sanyo, but that move has not impacted the company's ability to develop breakthrough battery technology. GS Yuasa has developed and prototyped a new vanadium phosphate cathode material for lithium-ion batteries and the initial round of testing shows that the cathode material could improve output density, increase battery safety and potentially lead to the production of lower cost lithium-ion batteries.
Tech-On explains the benefits of GS Yuasa's vanadium phosphate cathode material this way:

Compared with a battery using lithium iron phosphate...the safety of the prototype is almost the same and its output is 20% higher. The company plans to develop Li-ion rechargeable batteries by using the new material.

GS Yuasa anticipates that its new battery technology will be featured in upcoming hybrids and vehicles equipped with start-stop technology. The claimed 20-percent boost could allow automakers to use smaller batteries, yet still hit targeted power levels. The prototyped battery cell, with GS Yuasa's vanadium phosphate cathode material, has a nominal voltage of 3.5V, a current capacity of 5.0Ah, a size of 21 (W) x 112 (D) x 81mm (H) and a weight of 318g. GS Yuasa's numerous JVs with automakers such as Honda and Mitsubishi could provide the company with an easily accessible market for its new battery technology.

[Source: Tech-On]