By Michael Elkins
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, Li Auto (NASDAQ:LI) announced Wednesday that the company has broken ground and has officially begun construction of its power semiconductor R&D and production base in Suzhou city, Jiangsu province. Some are taking this news as an indication that the Chinese EV company has launched its self-owned industrial chain deployment for the next-generation high-voltage electric drive technologies.
According to Li Auto's press release, the new Suzhou facility will focus on the R&D and production of the third-generation automotive-grade SiC power modules, aiming to develop the capabilities of designing and manufacturing automobile-dedicated power modules.
The production base is being built by Suzhou Sike Semiconductor, a joint venture between Li Auto and domestic semiconductor company Hunan Sanan Semiconductor. It is expected to complete construction in 2022, then proceed to the equipment installation and commissioning stage.
With the official production starting in 2024, the base is anticipated to ramp up its production capacity gradually to a maximum of 2.4 million SiC half-bridge power modules annually.
Shen Yanan, a co-founder and President of Li Auto, said, “The independent development and production of third-generation semiconductor silicon carbide automotive power modules will help us gain a leading edge in technology and product, while effectively ensuring mass production supply. The project in Suzhou is a start of our independent industrial chain layout for next-generation high voltage electric drive technology, where we will form a new industrial layout with our electric driving partners.”