Thailand

Thai solid-state lithium-ion pilot manufacturing plant to target ASEAN market

Thailand’s first semi-solid lithium-ion battery pilot plant is to be built within 10 months after a deal was signed by two of the country’s firms.

Energy firm Global Power Synergy Public Company (GPSC) and Thai Takasago Company have signed a contract to build the THB1.1 billion ($35 million) plant in the Rayong province of the country.

Thailand

semi-solid

Lithium-ion

battery

pilot plant

Redflow storage sures up electric supply for Thai village

Australia-based Redflow has provided a hybrid battery system coupled with solar energy generation to create a microgrid that will provide a reliable power supply in a remote village in Thailand.

The energy storage system is made up of 10 Redflow ZBM2 zinc-bromine flow batteries— which provide 10kWh apiece— and three lithium batteries. The ZBM2 batteries will provide power to the Ban Pha Dan community school, town hall, and temple, while the lithium batteries will supply energy for individual homes.

Ban Pha Dan is in Lamphun province and is surrounded by a wildlife reserve where power pylons are not permitted, meaning that the village has lacked access to electricity in the past.

RedFlow

australia

zinc-bromine flow batteries

BMW and Dräxlmaier establish joint battery production in Thailand

The BMW Group has announced that from 2019 onward it will, in partnership with the Dräxlmaier Group, establish “local high voltage battery production” in Thailand.

Together, BMW and Dräxlmaier plan to invest over 400 million baht (US$12.2 million) in order to realise their ambitions of establishing “a new beacon for e-mobility innovations in Thailand and the region.”

bmw

Dräxlmaier

Thailand

battery manufacturing

EV batteries

Work starts on Mercedes’ Alabama EV battery plant

Daimler has broken ground for an electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Alabama for its Mercedes-Benz subsidiary.

A ceremony marking the start of construction at Tuscaloosa, just seven miles from Mercedes existing vehicle production site, came just weeks after German auto firms indicated they could pull the plug on new investments in battery manufacturing in the US, if forced to pay increased tariffs under the Trump administration’s “national security” review.

The battery plant is part of a US$1 billion investment in the US that will cover two million square feet— twice the size of Mercedes’ nearby site. The US plant will form part of an eight-strong global battery production network including plants in Germany, China and Thailand.

Daramic chief reveals French facility expansion

US-based lead-acid separator company Daramic is expanding its facility in France, president Bryan Moorehead has revealed.

The move will “add at least 15% to our capabilities” in the country, Moorehead told BEST Battery Briefing on the sidelines of the 16th European Lead Battery Conference (ELBC) in Vienna.

Redflow’s Thai battery plant fulfills ‘biggest order to date’

Australian flow battery maker has delivered $1.2 million worth of batteries made at its new factory in Thailand to support an emergency broadcasting service for a television network on the island nation of Fiji.

Redflow said the zinc-bromine flow (ZBM2) batterieswere bought by New Zealand-based telecoms infrastructure company Hitech Solutions— which has previously used Redflow batteries at telecoms sites in the Pacific Islands.

RedFlow

zinc-bromine flow batteries

GS Yuasa backs Thai lead-acid boost

Thailand’s Siam GS Battery is reportedly preparing to ramp up lead-acid battery production to meet increasing demand at home and across Southeast Asia.

Siam GS, a joint venture between majority partner, Japan lead-acid firm GS Yuasa Corporation and Thailand’s Siam Motors, is investing around $30 million in the expansion, according to the Bangkok Post.

Honda ‘plans Thai battery plant’ for hybrid EVs

Japanese car giant Honda is investing in a batteries production line for a planned hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) manufacturing programme in Thailand.

Honda said the equivalent of around $160 million will be needed to pave the way for commercial production of locally made hybrid electric vehicles and batteries in Thailand, according to the Bangkok Post.

Mercedes-Benz invests in Thai EV battery plant

German auto giant Mercedes-Benz is to invest in a lithium-ion battery assembly plant in Thailand for its plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).

Andreas Lettner, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Thailand, told the Bangkok Post the EUR100 million ($122m) Samut Prakan facility is scheduled to start operations in early 2019.

Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant

Nissan in Thailand battery production talks

Just months after selling its Japan-based electric vehicles batteries business to China, Nissan is in talks with Thailand’s government about starting battery production there, BBB has confirmed.

Nissan regional senior vice-president Yutaka Sanada said during a Nissan conference in Thailand the country’s military government is “keen to support investment” in batteries and EV production, a Nissan spokesperson said.