eLumina has opened Australia's first factory that can produce both community lithium batteries and EV chargers, with the first model set to come off the production line in 2025.
The new $20 million Manufacturing and Development Centre on the Gold Coast is set to strengthen Australia's energy storage sector and help meet soaring global demand for batteries.
The factory is set to produce 300 batteries and EV chargers a year and support up to 300 jobs on the Gold Coast.
"We are extremely proud to officially open our factory here in Yatala on the Gold Coast. We are ambitious to back 300 highly technical and sought-after jobs and we're proud to partner with TAFE Queensland to support the training and pathways into these jobs," said eLumina's CEO, Lisa Marsh.
Importantly, these jobs will play a critical role in shaping Australia's tech and energy future.
CEO of the Tech Council of Australia Damian Kassabgi said this is true particularly within Gold Coast which is an emerging tech and manufacturing hotspot.
"Our goal is to have 1.2 million tech workers in Australia by 2030 and we're proud to partner with Australian organisations like eLumina whose jobs are supporting the renewable energy sector," said Kassabgi.
CEO of the Smart Energy Council John Grimes reiterated the important role these jobs will play in the renewable and smart energy sector.
"We're proud to partner with eLumina and support them with their mission of securing a sustainable energy future for Australians and supporting Australia becoming a global leader in this sector," said Grimes.
"What the team at eLumina have done is truly innovative and applying cutting-edge practices to be the first in the country to manufacture community lithium batteries and EV chargers.
A key challenge is connectivity across Australia, particularly in regional and rural areas. eLumina's partnership with Addelec is supporting the deployment of their battery-integrated EV chargers with a focus on regional connectivity.
"When we look globally, especially at places like Europe with a high uptake of EV's, they're navigating smaller and more densely populated areas. When we zoom out to the sheer size of Australia, we need to take a different approach," said general manager at Addelec Chris McPherson.
"Considering existing power challenges across Australia, and in turn we hope to see an uptake in EV users across Australia."
eLumina now has its sights set on manufacturing these batteries looking to the future of manufacturing in Queensland.
Marsh said the company's goal is for the next factory to be three times the size
"Our factory diversifies Australia's manufacturing industry, building economic resilience and contributing to energy sovereignty and strengthening a 'Gold Coast Made' economy," said Marsh.
"We're proud to be contributing to Australia's energy future through pushing the dial forward on battery storage to secure Australia's energy future and support the transition to net-zero."
By Jack Lloyd (Manufacturers' Monthly)
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David Spediacci
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