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.”
“The start of local battery production will enable us to better respond to growing demands for electrified vehicles across Asian markets”, said Christian Wiedmann, President of BMW Thailand. “We have already planned and approved for government’s incentives by Thailand’s Board of Investment (BoI) to further invest over 700 million baht ($21.3 million) for more BMW Plug-in Hybrid models to come.”
Since September 2018, Dräxlmaier have been taking part in BMW’s battery production training programme at their Dingolfing Plant, and sharing their knowledge of production technologies such as laser welding and plasma activation.
The new production facility— located in WHA Chonburi Industrial Estate 2— will assemble batteries from cells manufactured in Asia. The final batteries will then be transported to Plant Rayong for use in the production of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles in the first phase from 2019.
Gerhard Irnesberger, Plant Manager Dräxlmaier Group Thailand, commented: “It is a very big honor to produce the high voltage storage local for BMW Thailand. Currently, there are two DRÄXLMAIER teams working hand in hand from Germany and Thailand to lead the project to a successful start of production”.
