Coda Auto, Tianjin Lishen to Make Electric-Car Batteries

TIANJIN, May 31 -- U.S. California-based electric vehicle maker Coda Automotive plans to build a factory in Ohio and to use Chinese technology to make lithium-ion batteries for its proposed all-electric car, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Coda will assemble its electric cars in the Los Angeles area with modules produced in China, instead of importing batteries from China's Tianjin.

The company and Tianjin Lishen Battery Joint-Stock Co recently jointly launched a battery plant, with an annual production capacity of more than 20,000 battery packs.

However, Coda has been seeking a production site in the U.S. as electric-car-grade batteries are heavy and expensive to ship across the ocean.

Tianjin Lishen said it fully supports Coda's decision to set up a plant in the U.S., rather than producing the batteries in China and shipping them to the U.S., according to the report. 

The Chinese battery maker is a modern hi-tech enterprise which mainly engaged in developing and producing high power lithium battery. It supplies lightweight batteries for Apple Inc's iPhone and iPod Touch devices.