eLumina opens $20 million EV Manufacturing and Development Centre on the Gold Coast
eLumina has officially opened Australia’s first factory which will be capable of producing 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 will strengthen Australia’s energy storage sector and help meet soaring global demand for batteries, with the factory set to produce 300 batteries and EV chargers a year and support up to 300 jobs on the Gold Coast.
eLumina‘s Chief Executive Officer, Lisa Marsh (pictured), said, “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.”
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, “Queensland, particularly on the Gold Coast is emerging as a tech hotspot and now also a manufacturing hub. 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.”
Reiterating the important role these jobs will play in the renewable and smart energy sector, CEO of the Smart Energy Council John Grimes said, “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. 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.
General Manager at Addelec Chris McPherson said, “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.”
“Considering existing power challenges across Australia, and in turn we hope to see an uptake in EV users across Australia,” Mr McPherson said.
