Big e-Bike News from Panasonic & Sanyo

TOKYO, Japan – Panasonic Corp. is in the process of buying Sanyo Electric Co. This is reported today at the Tokyo Stock Exchange where investors scrambled to buy shares from both companies.

A merger of the two companies would create not only Japan’s biggest consumer electronics maker by revenue, but also the world’s biggest specialized component maker for e-Bikes.

Buying Sanyo would strengthen Panasonic's battery business and give it a foothold in the fast-growing solar equipment market. Sanyo's is the world's top supplier of rechargeable batteries and ranks seventh in solar cells. Earlier this year Sanyo Electric Co introduced an e-Bike with regenerative braking into the Japanese market. Next to complete bikes Sanyo Electric Co also offers e-Bikes systems on an OEM basis, including hub motors.

Panasonic sold out this year?

Panasonic Corp. through its subsidiary Panasonic Cycle Technology Co. also markets complete e-Bike systems on an OEM basis which include bracket motors. The company switched this year to lithium-ion batteries and boosted their battery capacity from up to 8 amperes per hour to 10amh. The high quality Panasonic systems are so popular that it was said at this year’s Eurobike Show that Panasonic was already sold out for the remainder of the year.

The merger with Sanyo Electric Co. will provide Panasonic Cycle Technology Co. with extra production capacity for e-Bike systems. What is also sure if this merger will be realized, is that it will provide Panasonic with a much wider product range and with the extra production will create the biggest specialized component supplier for e-Bikes.