(Yicai) Dec. 21 -- The first battery pack has rolled off the production line at Chinese battery maker Svolt Energy Technology’s plant in Thailand.

The battery pack that was produced yesterday at Svolt’s Sriracha Chonburi plant is an LCTP battery pack, a 60-kilowatt-hour lithium phosphate battery pack, that allows electric vehicles to run at least 500 kilometers, the Changzhou, Jiangsu province-based company announced yesterday. Mass production is expected to kick off in February.

Svolt’s Thai plant, which began construction in July, is a joint venture between its local unit and Banpu Next, a subsidiary of Thai energy giant Banpu. The JV focuses on various business segments, including EV batteries, two- and three-wheeled vehicle batteries, energy storage batteries, and battery recycling.

Svolt will continue to develop its Thai energy storage battery production lines, actively expand the business of light power batteries, energy storage batteries, and other batteries suitable for the Southeast Asian market, and provide operation, maintenance, and after-sales services, said Zhang Feng, Svolt’s senior vice president and president for the Asia Pacific region.

LCPT battery packs are cheaper and have higher production efficiency and energy density, so that they can meet the needs of A-class vehicles in the Thai market. They will be equipped on the Thai version of Great Wall Motor’s Ora Good Cat from the first quarter of next year.

Thailand had over 50,000 registered new energy vehicles in the first three quarters of the year, a 7.6-times increase from a year earlier. Over 10 Chinese carmakers, including BYD, GAC Group, Great Wall Motor, Changan Automobile, and Geely Automobile Holdings, have entered or announced their intention to enter the Thai market.

Editor: Futura Costaglione