Chinese lithium-ion battery maker, Qingdao Haiba New Energy Company, is opening a production site at Ulaan Chab City, Inner Mongolia. Work on the new facility began in June 2012 with CNY4.2bn (US$163m) invested in the site, which is expected to be complete in 2014.
The production site consists of 15 workshops with an annual capacity output of 1bn Ah of lithium-ion batteries.
Inner Mongolia was selected for its favourable location, according to Project Manager Zhao Xiafei: “Ulaanchab City offers us fiscal incentives and public subsidies and Jining District is a transport hub and dry climate here is suitable for our production requirements. The battery drying process in Qingdao typically needs ten hours, while in Jining, it only takes three to five hours, which saves time, cost, electricity and protects the environment.”
Qingdao Haiba New Energy manufactures batteries for neighbourhood electric vehicles that are limited to a low maximum speed. It now has two production sites, the first being in Qingdao, Dalian.