Toyota to sell EV technology to Chinese firm

TOKYO -- Toyota Motor Corp. plans to sell electrified vehicle technology to Chinese EV startup Singulato Motors, sources close to the matter said Monday.

The Shanghai-based Singulato, set up in 2014, is said to be promising in the crowded Chinese EV industry. The deal is expected to be announced at the Shanghai auto show, which will open on Tuesday.

Toyota said last week it has allowed royalty-free access to nearly 24,000 patents related to electrification technology, seeking to become a "supplier" of low-emission technology as the industry adopts stricter emissions regulations.

It hopes that opening up its technology to other companies will enlarge the global market for electrified vehicles, in particular for gasoline-electric hybrids, a field the Japanese auto giant leads with its Prius vehicles that were first released in 1997.

Source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190416/p2g/00m/0bu/032000c