Thailand joins Asean EV battery initiative

Thailand has teamed up with five technology and electric vehicle (EV) organisations in Asean to jointly study and develop EV battery technology in a fresh move to strengthen the growing EV industry in the region.

The cooperation would also support Asean's economy under its sustainable development concept, said Pimpa Limthongkul, president of the Thailand Energy Storage Technology Association (Testa).

Testa signed a memorandum of understanding on battery development with five partners during the first Asean Battery and Electric Vehicle Technology Conference in Bali, Indonesia.

The three-day event, which started on May 9, ended on Thursday.

"The MoU is expected to help strengthen the collaboration within our region. It will be a good starting point for us all to move together in an important and fast-growing industry," said Ms Pimpa.

Yossapong Laoonual, head of the Research Center at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, said the key highlight of the MoU between the six leading associations in the region is to support research and development collaboration in the area of batteries.

The parties plan to develop and promote the Asean battery ecosystem that will facilitate the growth of the battery industry in the region, he said.

The associations will collaborate in jointly developing and promoting the Asean battery ecosystem, organising events for networking opportunities as well as conducting research and development in battery technology, safety, standards and the circular economy.

Thailand is promoting the circular economy under the bio-, circular and green economic model.

Circular economy-based production refers to the upcycling process to add value to unwanted materials, making them reusable.

Kenneth Soh, head of Hioki E.E Corporation's global business development unit, said the cooperation would bring various players in the EV and battery industries together to further promote EVs among Asean nations.

Asean is a large automotive market, with its oil-powered cars and motorcycles accounting for 40% of all vehicles worldwide.

Mr Soh's firm, a Japanese manufacturer of testing and measuring instruments, supports the cooperation between Testa and five organisations including the Singapore Battery Consortium, the National Center for Sustainable Transportation Technology of Indonesia, the National Battery Research Institute of Indonesia, NanoMalaysia Berhad and the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines.