Turkey launches construction of its first car battery factory

Siro, a subsidiary of Turkish electric car maker TOGG and Chinese battery manufacturer Farasis, laid the foundation stone for its factory in Gemlik near Bursa. The facility is envisaged to produce batteries for the fully electric T10X model.

By the end of next year, Turkey is set to get its first car battery factory, but the facility will expand to other segments as well. The start of construction in Gemlik in the country’s northwest was marked with top government officials including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The facility is envisaged to reach 20 GWh in capacity in the initial phase and grow to more than 50 GWh by 2035, according to the company. Siri was founded in 2021 by TOGG, which is itself owned by a consortium, and Chinese battery manufacturer Farasis.

The factory, located near Bursa and next to TOGG’s plant, is planned to supply modules and packs for sports utility vehicle T10X. It is the carmaker’s first model, which has just hit the market. TOGG said it already received 177,500 orders and that it would produce 28,000 units this year.

İlk fazını 2024 yılı sonunda tamamlamayı planladığımız Siro Batarya Geliştirme ve Üretim Kampüsü’nün inşaatı Cumhurbaşkanımız Sn. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’ın katılımıyla yapılan törenle başladı.

Avrupa’nın en modern batarya hücre laboratuvarını 2023 sonu itibarıyla devreye alarak… pic.twitter.com/ZcacDZcckU

— Siro Energy (@energy_siro) April 25, 2023

Gemlik factory is worth EUR 30 billion to Turkey’s economy over ten-year period

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Erdoğan claimed that in the next ten years Siro would contribute EUR 30 billion to Turkey’s economy and enable the reduction of the current account deficit by EUR 10 billion. The battery supplier said it intends to conquer the market for stationary batteries for utilities, power grids and the residential sector, and to install charging units.

Siro relies on Farasis’ lithium-ion nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) oxide technology. According to its website, the Chinese company was actually founded in California two decades ago. It has two plants in China and another under construction.

Siro targets 120 export markets

The Gemlik factory site spans 61 hectares. Siro said it would have 7,000 full-time employees and that it would export its solutions to 120 countries.

T10X is offered with batteries of 52.4 kWh and 88.5 kWh, translating to a range of 314 and 523 kilometers, respectively. The SUV’s battery can be charged from 20% to 80% in under 28 minutes, according to the specifications.

TOGG, which stands for Turkey’s Automobile Joint Venture Group, was established in 2018. Its shareholders are Anadolu Grubu, BMC, Turkcell and Zorlu Holding and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB).

Turkish company Kontrolmatik Technologies (Kontrolmatik Teknoloji Enerji ve Mühendislik) is building an LFP battery plant in Ankara, scheduled for the start of commercial production by the end of June.