GAC's Inpow starts battery pack production in Thailand with 7,000-pack first phase

GAC confirms Thai pack output

The first power battery pack came off the Chonburi line on 29 October, when Inpow held its opening ceremony. The plant is Inpow's first factory outside China and GAC's first in-house battery pack plant abroad. Thai Energy Ministry spokesperson Pongpol Yodmuangcharoen and EGAT business development head Narong Vacharasathien attended alongside GAC executives.

Inpow builds packs for electric vehicles and for energy storage. It has not said whether cells will also be made there.

Why the pack plant matters

The packs will supply Aion Y Plus cars assembled at GAC's Rayong plant, which opened in July 2024 with initial capacity of 50,000 EVs a year. GAC says local pack production will shorten delivery times and improve supply-chain security in Thailand. The plant will also support deliveries in other ASEAN markets, so pack output is not tied one-to-one to Rayong vehicle output.

Inpow has not disclosed where the cells come from. GAC said in 2023 it had no plans to produce batteries in Thailand in the near future.

Local sourcing and line details

The factory covers more than 13,000 square metres and runs at a local sourcing rate of 78.85%. Its assembly lines are fully automated, using CCD visual inspection systems for precision laser welding and automated welding robots. GAC says every pack must pass insulation voltage withstand testing at 1,500 volts, plus IP68 water and dust protection testing.

The packs will initially go into Thai-CKD GAC vehicles, including the Aion Y Plus.

Investment and what comes next

Inpow's total investment is 10.9 billion yuan, about $1.62 billion, and covers research, development and production of power and energy storage batteries. The company holds more than 700 patents and employs an R&D team of more than 800 people, with cumulative R&D spending of 2 billion yuan. Globally it had produced 300,000 battery packs by 15 October, fitted to GAC Aion models including the i60, N60 and UT. Inpow says those packs have covered more than 10 billion kilometres.

The Chonburi factory alone represents an investment of more than 50 million yuan, according to Paul Tan's Automotive News. That is a small fraction of the 10.9 billion yuan group total, which spans Inpow's wider research and production.

Inpow also plans to work with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, or EGAT, on electric vehicles, energy storage and energy equipment. Thailand aims for zero-emission vehicles to account for 30% of its vehicle output by 2030, which Inpow's statement put at more than 700,000 electric passenger vehicles.

GAC has sold in Thailand since 2023 and has registered 34,898 vehicles there, through 73 dealer and service locations in 40 provinces. The brand has built more than 300 charging stations with over 1,000 DC fast charging points.

Phase one is planned at 7,000 packs a year. GAC has said a second phase could raise capacity to 20,000 packs a year.