aptera Motors, an American electric vehicle company, released a solar electric vehicle that can achieve up to 1,600 km per charge in 2020, attracting attention. Pre-orders from around the globe exceeded 22,000 units. Today, aptera founder Chris Anthony came to Taiwan to announce the partnership with Formosa Smart En-ergy Tech Corp. to develop a new generation of lithium iron phosphate batteries for vehicles. In the future, Formosa AdvEnergy Technology Corp., a subsidiary of Formosa Smart Energy Tech Corp., will supply the batteries required for solar electric vehicles, while Autosmart International Co., Ltd. will be responsible for planning related collaborative matters for Apter’s solar electric vehicles in the Asia-Pacific region (including Taiwan).

According to Sandy Wang, Chairwoman of Formosa Smart Energy Tech Corp., Founder of Formosa Plastics Group, Yung-Ching Wang, envisioned the development of electric vehicles 26 years ago, and Formosa Plastics Group began developing new energy since then. Global development in recent years has reached a crit-ical moment for the development of the new energy industry. To follow the trend and integrate corporate re-sources, we established Formosa Smart Energy Tech Corp. and invested NT$6 billion through our subsidiary, Formosa AdvEnergy Technology Corp., to build a 2.1 GWh lithium iron phosphate battery cell production line. Through this partnership with aptera, we're investing in the development of lithium iron phosphate bat-teries for vehicles and intelligent vehicle control systems, which will be important milestones for us to expand our development in the field of new energy.

The core philosophy of the aptera Motors brand is to pursue sustainable and efficient energy use, achieving a safe and comfortable driving experience through a more aerodynamic body shape that reduces the energy consumed for startup and driving, paired with a body made of lightweight composites. The three-wheeled, teardrop shaped aptera Paradigm electric vehicle can effectively reduce air resistance. It adopts 150 kW and 100 kW motors and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds and 5.5 seconds, respectively. Paired with a solar power generation system in its body and a 100 kWh battery, it can reach a range of 1,600 km.

In addition to mastering the key materials and technologies of lithium iron phosphate battery cells, For-mosa Smart Energy Tech Corp. also has the core technology for lithium iron BMS (battery management sys-tem), allowing the company to produce vehicular and other battery energy storage systems that feature safe, long-life, high charge-discharge tolerance, and cost-effective characteristics. The company will provide high-quality lithium-iron battery systems that are safe, durable, cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and ener-gy-saving for Aptera solar electric vehicles.

According to Hui-chi Liu, President of Formosa Smart Energy Tech Corp., with the rapid development of the global electric vehicle industry, Taiwan companies have also accelerated their development in the electric vehicle supply chain. Among them, battery modules, which account for more than 30% of the cost of electric vehicles, are the key to development and competitiveness. This partnership with aptera Motors recognizes the technical capabilities and scaling potential of Formosa Smart Energy Tech Corp. In the future, we also hope to cooperate with more domestic and foreign automakers and will continue to combine the rich electric vehicle research and development capabilities from schools such as Chang Gung University and Ming Chi University of Technology in Formosa Plastics Group to jointly contribute to the development of electric vehicles and new energy in Taiwan.