(Yicai Global) Oct. 20 -- Envision AESC, an electric vehicle battery maker under Chinese green energy firm Envision Group, intends to build a new factory in the United States to fulfill BMW Group's demand.

The South Carolina plant, which will be ready by 2026, will have an annual capacity of up to 30 gigawatt-hours, the Chinese-controlled firm that has its headquarters in Japan said in a statement yesterday.

Established in 2007, Envision AESC used to be owned by Japanese automaker Nissan Motor. But Beijing-based Envision acquired a major stake in it in 2018.

The produced lithium-ion battery cells in South Carolina will result in faster charging speeds and an extended range of up to 30 percent regarding new car models made by BMW’s plant in the same state by 2030, it added.

With the plan, Envision AESC's goal is to increase the firm's output in the States to a maximum of 70 GWh. The company has 12 factories around the world, including one in Tennessee and one under construction in Kentucky. It aims to reach a total capacity of 300 GWh by 2026.

Last month, two Chinese electric vehicle battery developers received a total of EUR10 billion (USD9.8 billion) in orders from Munich-based BMW. The German company intends to build four large factories with Contemporary Amperex Technology and Eve Energy in China and Europe, and each plant will have an annual capacity of 20 GWh, it said earlier.

BMW will invest USD1.7 billion in its US operations, most of which will go into preparing the production of electric vehicles in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the company said yesterday. Some USD700 million will be spent on building a new high-voltage battery assembly facility in nearby Woodruff. By 2030, BMW is slated to produce at least six fully electric models in the States.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi