At the Electric & Hybrid Marine Expo in Amsterdam, the Long Ear of Electric Motor News heard some sensational rumors about Sealence and a Gigafactory.
The Electric & Hybrid Marine Expo in Amsterdam is the largest and most prestigious electric boating fair in the world and we in the editorial team, with such news, contacted by telephone Mr. William Gobbo, CEO of Sealence; who with his usual kindness did not deny the news and in the interview offered us further details of the “Gigafactory program”.
EMN: – Why building a Giga Factory instead of buying batteries in Asia like most of the others?
William Gobbo, Sealence CEO: This was foreseen in our business plan. In the transition process towards electric mobility, the battery performance from simple commodity can become an element of competition and this is clearly visible in the automotive world, where whoever has the best battery can offer vehicles with higher performance and autonomy, gaining market shares from weaker competitors.
The nautical sector is no different and the battery can make the difference, especially if the boat aims to be sporty and targeting an informed and high-profile public, which is demanding by its nature.
Our Naval Approved 83 kWh SAFE-Li battery is a real concentrate of technology and in fact is rapidly becoming a reference in this sector in comparison to other products that may be less expensive but also less performing. On the safety front, the SAFE-Li is truly a game-changer since it is a battery explicitly designed to be fireproof.
EMN: What is the timeline you have set for this initiative?
WG: We have been working for months on our SAFE-Li Giga Factory program aimed not only to satisfy the internal needs of Sealence, but also to increase capacity and to reduce the manufacturing lead time for the batteries that are being requested by a rapidly increasing number of customers and partners, and not only from the naval sector.
Our first production lines have already been operational since last year and the first Sealence powertrains have been shipped to end customers since the end of 2022.
For the batteries in particular, we currently have an internal production line up and running in house at Sealence which is ready to be transferred to our Giga Factory, possibly at the beginning of 2024.
The next step we are about to take is purely industrial in nature, i.e. structuring processes and automating some assembly phases, in order to increase volumes up to literally one Giga Watt by year 2025 with a significant direct and indirect positive impact on local employment of operators and technicians working in and for the factory.
EMN: Where do you plan to install the Giga Factory and, above all, how do you plan to fund the operation?
WG: Those who follow us already know our attention on the social impact. Sealence is a company which by statute has also the responsibility of enhancing and enriching the territory in which it operates.
Naturally I cannot comment about ongoing negotiation, but I can certainly say that we are currently discussing with three different institutional subjects interested in financing this operation – invoicing investments up to 20 million euros – with the main motivation of creating high-quality employment in the territory of their responsibility.
I also take the liberty of pointing out that Sealence creates stable employment; in fact, the concept of precariousness does not exist here. 100% of the workforce in the company has a full-time contract, and this is part of our way of thinking and in the values of our company culture.
And once again… the Long Ear of Electric Motor News has shown that he hears and listens very well…
#MarceloPadin #theEMNteam
Photo: Courtesy Sealence
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