Kim Long Motor will finance the plant, while BYD brings technical and technological expertise under the partnership agreement.
Vietnamese auto manufacturer Kim Long Motor said on Tuesday it has partnered with China’s BYD to develop a $130 million battery plant for commercial electric vehicles in central Vietnam, as the country’s EV sector continues to expand.
Under the agreement, Kim Long Motor will finance the construction of the facility, while BYD will provide full technical and technological support, the company said in a statement. The plant will be built on a 4.4 hectare site and is designed to have an initial production capacity of 3 gigawatt hours per year.
The facility will focus on manufacturing batteries for commercial electric vehicles, including buses, trucks and minibuses. In a second development phase, the project will be expanded to cover 10 hectares, doubling annual capacity to 6 gigawatt hours. The expansion will also add battery production lines for electric passenger cars, the company said.
The investment reflects growing demand for electric vehicles in Vietnam, where the market is being driven by supportive government policies and rising interest in sustainable transport solutions.
Vietnam’s EV market is currently led by domestic automaker VinFast, which holds a dominant position across several segments. The company has recently entered the commercial vehicle space with the launch of its electric cargo van, the EC Van, aimed at supporting sustainable urban freight transport.
The Kim Long Motor BYD partnership highlights increasing foreign collaboration in Vietnam’s fast developing electric mobility industry.
