BMW plug-in hybrid vehicles assembled in Thailand will soon get PHEV batteries from a local source. The premium carmaker’s supplier Draexlmaier will start high-voltage battery production in July, in a Rayong factory that’s just 14 km away from BMW’s Amata City Industrial Estate plant, the Bangkok Post reports.
Draexlmaier won Thailand Board of Investment (BoI) privileges in November 2018 with a 540 million baht investment application, including land purchase. According to BMW Group Thailand president Christian Wiedmann, the DTS Draexlmaier Automotive System Thailand plant will run two final processes of lithium-ion battery production – module production and pack assembly.
“This plant will bring two processes under one roof while other local facilities make just the last process, packing all battery modules before being equipped in plug-in hybrid and battery EVs,” he said, adding that the first two processes – component and cell production – cannot be done locally
Wiedmann said that finished batteries will power the G30 530e and G12 740Le plug-in hybrid sedans from 2019 onwards. BMW’s PHEV sales in Thailand is strong and growing – last year, plug-in hybrid sales grew 122% in the kingdom, representing 24% of the brand’s total sales.
BMW Thailand is also providing charging stations in Thailand under the ChargeNow brand. At present, there are 121 chargers across the country, with the total set to reach 150 units by the end of the year.
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