Electric vehicle (EV) battery maker ProLogium Technology Co (輝能科技) would continue to expand its operations in Taiwan despite announcing it would build a new “gigafactory” in France, company founder and chief executive officer Vincent Yang (楊思枏) said yesterday.
“It is clear that we are rooted in Taiwan, and [we are] expanding overseas on a foundation built in Taiwan,” Yang told a news conference cohosted by the French Office in Taipei.
The company’s first gigafactory in Taoyuan would be ready for mass production at the end of this year, he said, adding that it would be a “demonstration model” as ProLogium seeks to expand its production overseas.
Photo: CNA
ProLogium has doubled its workforce in Taoyuan to more than 800 over the past year and that number is expected to surpass 1,000 by the end of the year, he said.
Yang last month announced an investment of US$5.7 billion in France.
The solid-state battery manufacturer founded in Taiwan in 2006 would build a plant with production capacity of 48 gigawatt-hours, and a research and development center in Dunkirk in northern France, which is where several EV makers and battery solution providers are based.
By expanding its presence in France, ProLogium would be able to provide batteries to EV and non-EV manufacturers in Europe, and get easier access to raw materials provided by European suppliers, Yang said
Construction of the gigafactory in Dunkirk, which is to be ProLogium’s first overseas plant, is expected to start next year, with production of next-generation batteries projected to begin in 2027.
He declined to provide details on the subsidies to be provided by the French government, saying talks on the issue were still being finalized.
Jean-Francois Casabonne-Masonnave, head of the French Office in Taipei, said that Paris has always provided subsidies to foreign companies investing in France in accordance with EU law.
Francois Cotier, director of Business France Taiwan, later told reporters that France welcomes Taiwanese investment in the nation, especially investment focused on biotechnology, e-mobility and other advanced technologies.
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