By KHT Staff. Model T bus image courtesy of Tainan City Government.
KAOHSIUNG — Foxconn announced it is expanding its electric vehicle footprint in Kaohsiung, with local operations now encompassing battery cell research and production, vehicle manufacturing, and software development as it strives to establish a more comprehensive EV supply chain in Taiwan.
The company highlighted Kaohsiung as a key base for its EV business at this week’s Autotronics Taipei show, where it showcased six vehicle models along with batteries, displays, and control systems. Foxconn said its Kaohsiung battery center in Daliao District (大寮) is focused on lithium iron phosphate batteries with a planned annual capacity of about 1.27 gigawatt-hours, with mass production set to begin this year for use in electric buses, trucks, and energy storage systems. It also said a new plant in Ciaotou District (橋頭) is scheduled to begin operations soon, initially producing the Model T electric bus with an annual capacity of about 500 units.
Foxconn also said it plans to invest NT$3.8 billion in a passenger EV production base at the Kaohsiung site. The company’s remarks come after it agreed last year to sell its former Lordstown, Ohio, factory and related machinery to Crescent Dune in a complicated deal that Reuters reported was worth US$375 million. The Ohio stepback, or setback, is by no means a retreat from the US market, say insiders, but it does seem clear that Foxconn is building out Kaohsiung as a larger EV manufacturing hub while also keeping a US footprint. At the Taipei exhibition, the company also displayed its North America-targeted Model C and Foxtron’s Bria SUV, which has been on sale in Taiwan since January.
