The international automotive supplier Continental has acquired shares in the Japanese lithium-ion specialist Enax. Enax is a highly recognized technology expert for the development and production of high-energy and high-performance lithium-ion cells for hybrid and electrical vehicle batteries. The two partners have agreed upon an exclusive cooperative venture for the development of lithium-ion cells especially for future hybrid and electric drives in automobiles. Continental acquires a 16 percent holding in Enax. Together, the two intend to improve safety, service life and performance of lithium-ion batteries even further. "In line with our evaluation criteria, Enax offers the broadest range of know-how in high-performance lithium-ion cells, regarding the cell materials as well as cell design," says Continental Executive Board member Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann. As an independent think tank, Enax can already provide more than 10 years of experience in the field of lithium-ion cells for automotive applications, including cell technology and the chemical composition in particular. "With this cooperation, we are pooling our innovative strength and creating the technological basis for high-performance energy storage devices of the next generation," explains Jorg Grotendorst, head of Continental's Hybrid business unit. Grotendorst will in the future be a member of the Board of Directors of Enax. Enax was founded in 1996 by the current president and CEO, Dr. Kazunori Ozawa. The company, which is headquartered in Tokyo and has manufacturing facilities in China and Japan, employs more than 80 people, about half of who work in research and development. Continental has been developing components such as power electronics, electrical machines and energy storage devices for hybrid drives already since the mid 1990s. For more information, visit www.continental-corporation.com. | 
