Electronics giant Hitachi is tying up with a U.S. battery maker in developing and making batteries for energy-efficient vehicles, both sides said Monday.

The deal signed last month with Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls Inc. centers on lithium-ion batteries, which are widely used in laptop computers and other gadgets but gaining ground in automobile technology, including hybrid cars and electric vehicles.

The terms of the deal were not released. The areas of cooperation will span sales, marketing and standardization, and the companies may also work together on energy storage technology, they said.