South Africa is experiencing a rapid rise in battery pack assembly companies, driven by the increasing demand for renewable energy storage solutions. This trend is fueled by the adoption of solar power and electric vehicles (EVs) in the country. While South Africa currently lacks facilities for local battery cell production, companies are assembling battery packs using imported cells and locally manufactured components. Major players like Solar MD, Balancell, and Freedom Won are contributing to this growth, establishing significant production capacity and supplying batteries to a range of industries.
South Africa is witnessing a surge in battery pack assembly companies, fueled by the growing demand for renewable energy storage solutions. While the country lacks facilities to manufacture batteries from scratch, several companies are setting up operations to assemble battery packs using imported cells and locally manufactured components. This trend is driven by the increasing adoption of solar power and electric vehicles (EVs) in South Africa .
Companies like Solar MD and Balancell have already established large-scale assembly plants, while others, such as Afrivolt, are aiming to produce battery cells locally in the near future.Solar MD's 15,000 square meter plant in Richmond, Cape Town, became the first gigawatt factory in Africa upon its commencement of operations in July 2024. The facility boasts an annual production capacity of 3,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) or 3 gigawatt-hours, capable of manufacturing up to 300 batteries daily. Balancell, the second-largest assembler, recently upgraded its Cape Town facility to support a 1GWh annual production output. Its clientele includes prominent companies such as Toyota Material Handling, Cape Fruit, Clicks, Nestle, Shoprite, Spar, and Pick n Pay, as well as electric safari vehicle manufacturer Thula Solutions and solar rental company GoSlr. Freedom Won, based in Gauteng, is the only major player among these assemblers not located in Cape Town. The company, founded in 2012, specializes in producing LiTE home and business batteries with capacities ranging from 5kW to 80kWh, and also caters to commercial and industrial segments with models offering 100kWh to 800kWh capacity. As of November 2023, Freedom Won employed approximately 500 individuals and produced batteries with a combined capacity of around 65MWh monthly, translating to approximately 780MWh annually.
Renewable Energy Battery Assembly Electric Vehicles Solar Power South Africa Afrivolt Solar MD Balancell Freedom Won
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