Tesla to open foothold in New Taipei science park

Taipei, May 18 (CNA) U.S.-based electric vehicle brand Tesla Inc. will set up a presence in the Baogao Science and Intellectual Park in New Taipei after winning a bid for space in the park, according to the city's Economic Development Department.

In a statement Tuesday, the department said a fifth round of bidding seeking investment in the science park drew the interest of several prominent companies, including Tesla, to join with New Taipei in building a smart industrial cluster in Taiwan's most populous city.

The department said Tesla won the tender for a 1,637.03 square meter plot in the science park's experimental domain, where investors can explore emerging technologies.

Other winners of the tender included automotive electronics supplier Kim Well Electronics International Co., gaming equipment developer Dexin Corp., and precision machinery designer RASEM Technology Ltd.

All three of them will set up shop in the standard factory area of the science park, located in the city's Xindian District, the department said.

Economic Development Department chief Ho I-ming (何怡明) said in the statement that Tesla's presence in the park represents a milestone for its long-term development in Taiwan, which is home to about 70 percent of its suppliers.

Tesla will likely use its presence in the Baogao park to develop and test products, Ho said.

In the previous round of bidding for land in the park, Taiwanese manufacturing giant Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. won a space in the science park's standard factory area to set up an EV research and development base, the department said.

The Yulon Group, Taiwan's largest domestic auto maker, and Foxtron Vehicle Technologies Co., a joint venture between Hon Hai and Yulon's Hua-Chuang Automobile Information Technical Center Co,, have set up EV development bases in other parts of Xindian, according to the department.

These developments all demonstrate New Taipei's ambition to build an EV cluster in the city, said Ho, adding that New Taipei will continue to push for more software and testing providers in the EV supply chain to move into the Baogao science park.