Tokyo stock exchange-listed battery manufacturer, GS Yuasa has announced plans to form a subsidiary in Hungary, and to assemble Li-ion batteries at a new facility located close to the industrial city of Miskolc.
According to GS Yuasa, the plant will be used to assemble lithium batteries for starting, lighting and ignition applications (automotive batteries), which it expects to expand in Europe in the coming years. Initially, the facility will assemble batteries from Li-ion cells produced in Japan, however the company said it will also consider manufacturing cells at the new Hungarian plant in the future.
GS Yuasa was formed in 2004, when two leading Japanese battery manufacturers merged. The company makes lead-acid and nickel-cadmium batteries, as well as working with Li-ion technology.
Traditionally a supplier of batteries for cars and motorcycles, GS Yuasa has sought to move into growing markets for Li-ion technology, both in vehicles and storage applications. Last year, the company supplied its batteries to a 6.75MWh storage facility in northern Japan, co-located with a solar plant operated by one of its subsidiaries.
The proposed new factory will require an investment of around €3.5 million ($4.3 million), 100% of which will be provided by investment from GS Yuasa International Ltd. The plant will take up an area of 140,000m² and have an annual production capacity of 500,000 batteries. The battery size was not mentioned, however GS Yuasa’s currently available Li-ion EV batteries have a capacity of 50 Ah.
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