Ener1, Inc. and Wanxiang Electric Vehicle Co., Ltd., a division of the Chinese conglomerate Wanxiang Group Corporation, announced that they have received approval from the Chinese government for their joint venture to co-manufacture lithium-ion energy storage systems for the China market.
The new company – Zhejiang Wanxiang Ener1 Power System Co., Ltd. – will initially focus on fulfilling existing contracts with State Grid, which is the largest power supplier in China. These projects include providing lithium-ion battery systems for a pure electric bus project for the city of Qingdao, a pure electric car project for the city of Hangzhou, as well as a grid energy storage system. As capacity increases, it is anticipated the joint venture will work with other existing customers, such as SAIC Motor, Dongfeng Motor, Faw Haima Motor, Chang’an Automobile, Guangzhou Automobile and Yutong. The joint enterprise is expected to achieve annual cell manufacturing capacity of 300 million Ampere hours (approximately 40,000 electric vehicle battery packs) annually by 2014.