Battery manufacturers, InoBat and Gotion High-Tech, have joined forces with a non-binding agreement to examine the possibility of constructing a joint battery factory in Europe. The agreement considers other areas of cooperation as well, but the joint battery factory is the highlight of the agreement, with its annual production capacity expected to be 40GWh for battery cells and packs for use in electric vehicles. The partners aim to build the factory in Central or Eastern Europe. Technical cooperation for LFP and NMC batteries is also under consideration.
In addition to the joint factory, the two companies plan to examine the potential for ESS (energy storage) battery production at InoBat’s existing premises in Slovakia, providing quick access to the European market. The companies also plan to look at recycling concepts for production scrap and end-of-life cycles for used batteries.
Marian Bocek, Founder and CEO of InoBat, expressed excitement about the partnership and stated, “Gotion is an ideal partner for InoBat. Like us, they firmly believe that a sustainable future is only achievable if the energy, and the products that provide this energy, can be both sourced and recycled in a sustainable manner, sharing the cradle-to-cradle ethos that lies at the heart of InoBat. It is exciting to have the opportunity to leverage both of our complementary capabilities, as well as having the objective to work together on areas that we have yet to explore.”
Steven Cai, CTO and president of Gotions General Research Institute of Engineering, shared similar sentiment and added, “We believe that this cooperation will yield win-win results and create a better future in the EV battery field. It will be part of Gotion High-Tech’s business plan of establishing 100GWh of battery production capacity in the overseas market by 2025 and help to advance the international development of the company in Europe. We are excited about this new partner in our cooperation landscape.”
This partnership is not InoBat’s first venture into battery production in the region. The company is currently building a battery factory in Serbia, which is expected to open in 2025 with an initial capacity of 4 GWh. Another battery cell factory with a capacity of 10 GWh is set to open in Slovakia in 2024. InoBat also has plans for a factory in Spain.
Gotion has also been expanding its global production network, with previously announced battery factories in Thailand, Vietnam, and Michigan, USA. The partnership with InoBat is expected to bring significant growth to both companies in the European market.
