Local electronics conglomerate Lite-On Group (光寶集團) yesterday said it was providing the electrical power system for the nation’s first electric sightseeing boats, making a further progress on seeking future growth in green energy business.
Lite-On generated about 50 percent of its NT$200 billion (US$6.2 billion) in revenues from green energy-related businesses, such as LED chip packaging services, via subsidiary Lite-On Technology Corp (光寶科技).
Yesterday, Lite-On Clean Energy (光寶動力儲能), the electric vehicle power system and stationary storage system integration arm of the group, said it was supplying the electrical power system to local shipbuilding company Ting Hai Shipbuilding Co Ltd (靖海造船) to launch the nation’s first electric boats.
The electric power system includes solar panels, lithium-ion battery packs, dual 25 kilowatt motors, battery management systems, chargers, converters, a computerized central control panel and LED lighting, Lite-On said.
The new product “opens a new growth [opportunity] for Lite-On over the next 10 to 20 years,” said David Lin (林行憲), chief executive of Lite-On Technology’s parent group.
Lin declined to comment on whether the electrical power system could be used in electric cars. The company expects to see rapid growth in green batteries within five years.
The five electric boats ordered by Kaohsiung City Government consume only one-fourth to one-third the energy of regular boats, the company said. The solar panels will also save another 25 percent in energy use on sunny days, it said.
Kaohsiung will replace part of its gasoline-powered sightseeing fleet on the Love River with electric boats.
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