Subaru Ramps Up EV Plan, In-Talk with Panasonic for Battery Supply

Under the new administration, Subaru is progressively ramping up its EV adoption plan

Compared to other Japanese marques, it seems that Subaru has stood out as one of the more proactive ones in terms of their EV adoption plan. Under this new administration led by new CEO Atsushi Osaki, the marque is planning to double its EV production by the end of this decade.

According to Autonews, Subaru’s new CEO is planning to launch up to eight new EV models by 2030, which is part of the marque’s bigger goal of having 50% of its total sales coming from EVs by the end of this decade. All in all, this EV masterplan will see Subaru selling over 600,000 EVs worldwide by 2030, with the bulk of it coming from its biggest market, the US.

To achieve this, Subaru is also planning to localise its production in the US, with plans to set up new production facilities in the State in four-to-five years time. Aside from the US, the marque also plans to start EV production in its current facility in Japan by 2025 – targeting up to 200,000 units produced annually. It also expects to add another production facility in Japan by 2027.

Subaru Solterra EV SUV

Back to the eight new EV models, Subaru has yet to unveil the details of these new models. However, Osaki suggested that at least four of them will be EV crossovers – possibly a follow-up to the marque’s current sole EV SUV model, the TNGA-based Subaru Solterra.

Panasonic Energy's cylindrical lithium-ion batteries

As for the EV technology, Subaru is also actively looking for new suppliers for the battery pack of its future EV models. Recently, the marque has held talks with renowned battery manufacturer Panasonic Energy to form a partnership to supply its next-gen cylindrical lithium-ion batteries for Subaru’s future EVs.

Aiming at a “medium- to long-term partnership” with Panasonic, Subaru plans to build a new EV battery factory at the Gunma Prefecture, Japan, where it will use the battery packs supplied by Panasonic, should both parties manage to strike a partnership.

Aside from Subaru, another Japanese marque – Mazda – is also actively pursuing Panasonic to be its battery supplier for future EV models, alongside some European brands like BMW and the Stellantis Group. For context, Panasonic has been supplying batteries for Tesla EVs for years. 

Now the American marque recently struck a deal with BYD as its newest battery supplier, perhaps this will allow Panasonic more breathing room to work with other marques.