SYM has been actively expanding for carbon credit and the green energy market. After purchasing the publicly traded Taiwan Tea Corporation to secure carbon credits, SYM has recently invested in the energy business of aluminum batteries as it proclaimed its investment of NTD 3 billion in the world's first company that achieved aluminum battery commercialization – APh ePower. In the second half of this year, APh ePower will initiate the construction of its 3-hectare mass production base in Kaohsiung Science Park, where second-generation plant is estimated to be finished in 2025, allowing the APh ePower to emerge as the first company to realize aluminum battery mass production in the world.
Chin-Yuan Wu, Chairman of SYM, indicated that Taiwan really should allocate its resources to domestic battery technology development instead of limiting subsidies to electronic vehicles. Only through mastering the core foundation of electronic vehicles, will the Taiwanese electrical vehicle industry gain the momentum to compete on an international scale. After the mass-production of aluminum batteries begins, it will not only empower the Taiwanese market but also strive for expansion in export, seizing the international battery market share with the potential of USD 100 billion.
The aluminum batteries designed by APh ePower come with 5 major advantages: quick charging and discharging, tough weather resistance, absolute safety, environmental friendliness, and long useful life, which makes them the ideal candidates to replace solutions including supercapacitors, lead-acid batteries, etc., perfectly suitable for energy storage (e.g. UPS system), vehicles, and other markets. The energy storage business opportunities have been emerging due to the recent concern of power shortage in Taiwan, and as soon as APh ePower aluminum batteries enter the market, they can be applied at renewable energy (i.e., wind power and solar energy) sites or join Taipower’s auxiliary services, supporting the stability of the national power grid system and preventing immense economic losses for enterprises and individuals due to power outages.
For electronic vehicle applications, as the outstanding turnover rate of aluminum batteries allows them to be fully charged within 15 minutes, vehicle manufacturers will no longer have to make immense investments in constructing countless battery stations or purchasing backup batteries. Lithium batteries are made with precious metals like lithium and cobalt, which may lead to challenges such as undersupply, material outages, and significant price increases, while aluminum is the third most common element on Earth. With the abundant supply, the risk of an aluminum outage is low, and the price is always stable. In addition, the staggering carbon emission generated from the lithium battery mineral development, manufacturing, transportation, usage, and recycling can be fully avoided. Also, the electrolyte of aluminum batteries does not contain organic solvents, which will completely eliminate the safety concern of burning or explosion due to thermal runaway. What we are witnessing right now is a truly modern, safe, and eco-friendly battery technology.
To obtain the key technology of batteries, SYM started investing in APh ePower in 2019 to construct an aluminum battery pilot plant in the Kaohsiung Science Park located in Luijhu. In 2022, SYM invested another NTD 3 billion to establish a second-gen aluminum battery plant, which is estimated to be commercialized and enter mass production in 2025. Currently, APh ePower has completed the applications for more than 13 invention patents for the aluminum battery, and after winning the National Industrial Innovation Award and Green Chemical Application and National Innovation Award in 2020, APh ePower again obtained the Business Startup Award as well as the Renewable-Energy-Based Electricity Retailing Enterprise certificate in 2021. APh ePower is also the first-ever company to submit the application for aluminum battery safety certification to UL (Underwriter Laboratories Inc., the world’s most distinguished safety certification institution) which is estimated to pass this year.
In addition to the development of safe and quick-charging aluminum batteries, APh ePower has also been actively cultivating domestic and overseas markets of green energy and carbon credits, completing several trading cases of international voluntary carbon credits and capturing the international strategic resource to gain advantages. In the future, APh ePower will continue to offer enterprises comprehensive energy solutions and assist companies in carbon reduction and carbon offset, empowering sustainable competitiveness and progressing the vision of sustainability.
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