Siro begins battery production in Turkey

Siro, a joint venture between Farasis Energy and Turkish electric car maker Togg, has started production at its new Gemlik, Turkey, site. Battery modules and packs based on Farasis Energy’s lithium-ion technology will be produced in the factory, which has a capacity of 3 GWh/a. Annual capacity of the production facility is expected to increase to 20 GWh/a by 2031.

Siro’s new battery factory in Turkey. (Photo: Farasis Energy)

“The opening of Siro’s production site highlights this successful partnership,” said Dr. Keith Kepler, vice chairman of Siro and co-founder of Farasis.

The new plant was built in less than two years and covers an area of 26,000 m² and reportedly employs more than 300 people.

Siro supplies Togg, customers of Farasis Energy Europe and its own customers in automotive, industrial applications and stationary storage solutions.

In addition to production, Siro said product development is also a high priority. Parallel to the factory in Gemlik, a research and development center is being built in Bilisim Vadisi, Turkey.

“There are continuously new developments in the field of battery technology, and we need to be close on the pulse of the time in order to offer our customers the best solutions possible,” said Gürcan Karakas, chairman of Siro and CEO at Togg. “That is why research and development have a high priority at Siro.”

Farasis Energy was founded in 2002 by Dr. Keith Kepler and Dr. Yu Wang in California. The company now operates research and development centers in China, Germany and the United States. In addition to the factory in Turkey, it has factories in Ganzhou and Zhenjiang, China. 

Togg’s first car model is the T10X SUV that is expected to launch in major European markets in Q4 2024. The company has said it plans to produce a five-model range and have a total of 1 million vehicles on the road across Europe by 2030.

Siro, also known as Silk Road Clean Energy Storage Technologies, was established in September 2021 to develop energy storage solutions for Turkey and surrounding markets.