SIGNERER AGREEMENTS: From left Ivar Moen, Growth in Grenland, Sankar Das Gupta, Electrovaya, Clive Hickman, Tata Motors, Oddvar Holmer, Grenland Industriutvikling and Robert Olsen, Skagerrak Energi.

((2008-09-10) Miljøbil Grenland / Environmental Innovation is planning to establish production of litiumionbatterier for elbil in Herøya Industrial Park. The plan is to be 3,000 elbiler of this label a few years roll out of the industrial park to the Nordic market.

Miljøbil Grenland AS and its subsidiary Environmental Innovation has so far been owned by Skagerrak Energi, Grenland Industriutvikling AS (Hydroeid), Growth in Grenland and Miljøstiftelsen Bellona. Now is the Indian company Tata heavily into the eiersiden, and the Canadian batteriteknologiselskapet Electrovaya, which Environmental Innovation has purchased batterilisensen of, has also secured a financial interest in Miljøbil Grenland / Environmental Innovation.

100 cars the first year

The cooperation between Miljøbil Grenland, Tata Motors and Electrovaya started a few years ago, and only now provide interesting results.

The executive director of Miljøbil Grenland, Bjørn Nenseth, says that the company in recent months have developed about five Tata Indica-cars to elbil with purchased litiumionbatterier. -- Vehicles are tested out, and has shown promising measures. Length of trip on the hilly road in Grenland, with three people and baggage on board, is of 200 km. The car will now be presented in India on a bilmesse, explains Bjørn Nenseth.

The coming year will be another 100 such vehicles are built on at Herøya, in temporary premises. Illegally come depleted from India, battericellene come from Canada, and will be packaged and mounted in the car.

Batteriproduksjon

In parallel with the rebuilding of the 100 cars, will Miljøbil Grenland / Environmental Innovation plan and project a permanent building in Herøya Industrial Park, for the production of batteries and conversion of the Tata Indica to elbil.

We are planning to convert about. 1,000 cars the first year of the new facility, and then scale up to a capacity of 3,000 cars, "says Bjørn Nenseth. He does not hide the fact that in the long term it may be appropriate to develop the battery to other applications than the car.
The hosts in Herøya Industrial Park is a very positive view of the battery-and-elbil effort. The establishment contributes positively to the diversity in the industrial park, and we think this is exciting and future-oriented, "Tor Yngve Kristiansen, who is head of business development at Herøya Industrial Park.

TATA INDICA I EL-VERSION: From left Oddbjørn Solum, Environmental Innovation, Oddvar Holmer, Grenland Industriutvikling, Robert Olsen, Skagerrak Energi, Clive Hickman, Tata Motors and Sankar Das Gupta, Electrovaya.