Posted on 06 Mar 2024
German automaker BMW Group has started the construction of the assembly facility for its fifth-generation high-voltage batteries in Rayong, Thailand, Kallanish learns.
The company said in a statement on Monday that the assembly facility will help it to expand localised production of EV batteries, in preparation for all-electric vehicle production in the second half of 2025. The carmaker has already been producing high-voltage batteries in Thailand for locally-made plug-in hybrids since 2019.
This new assembly facility will convert imported battery cells into modules that will then be integrated into high-voltage batteries for BEVs. As per usual BMW’s announcements, there has been no disclosure of production capacity volumes, though the carmaker said its Plant Rayong manufactured over 12,000 cars and nearly 11,000 motorcycles last year.
So far, BMW has invested more than THB 1.6 billion ($45 million) in this project, with a large proportion of the investment, about THB 1.4 billion, dedicated to the purchase of advanced equipment and systems.
“Local production of high-voltage batteries in Rayong is the next logical step in the continued electrification of our production network. Once again, the principle of ‘local for local’ applies, supporting economic development, employment opportunities and knowledge transfer in Thailand and the ASEAN region,” Milan Nedeljković, board member for production at BMW AG, said at the ground-breaking ceremony.
Source:Kallanish
