Next-generation battery seen powering space projects, cars

Tokyo

RESEARCHERS in Japan are closing in on a safer generation of batteries that could weather extreme temperatures in outer space.

At least that's what Hitachi Zosen Corp is betting on. The Osaka-based company, better known for building plants that convert waste to energy, is developing a new strain of solid-state lithium-ion battery that's been capturing the attention of industry heavyweights.

"We can offer solid-state lithium-i…