The Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) is to start producing lithium-ion battery prototypes for electric vehicles (EV) and energy storage by 2015.
“There are only a handful of lithium-ion battery manufacturers on a global level. We’re currently conducting research on producing a prototype for the local market and possibly export,” said MAI chief executive officer Madani Sahari.
The MAI will produce the batteries in collaboration with Malaysia’s transport logistics firm ARCA and Australia’s EV researcher AutoCRC and Swinburne University of Technology.
The first battery will be designed for an electric bus prototype developed by ARCA. The first test runs are scheduled for the second quarter of 2015. “Once we have successfully tested the prototype battery, we want to then produce them locally on a wider scale,” said Sahari.
ARCA is to invest $63.45m over a period of four years into development and production.
Sahari added that producing lithium-ion batteries for the EV market, will be more cost-effective than importing. The Malaysian government aims to reduce vehicle prices and to turn the country into an energy-efficient vehicle hub. In February, the MAI has set up the country’s first lithium-ion battery plant for EV.
