JAPAN

Powerful Electric Car Battery Unveiled: Matsushita Battery Industrial Co. has developed the world’s first nickel hydride battery, which would allow an electric car to run 2.8 times farther than a conventional lead acid storage battery. The actual distance would depend on the car and the size of the battery. Matsushita Battery Industrial Co. said the new battery, developed jointly with its parent company, Matsushita Electric Industrial, will be displayed at Matsushita’s international exhibition near Tokyo this week. Company officials said it plans to start selling the battery in the mid-1990s at a price less than five times the cost of a lead acid battery.