MAPNA Group has signed a deal with SAIPA to provide the major Iranian automaker with battery packs and cells for electric vehicles.
The agreement was signed by the CEO of MAPNA Electrification and Energy Storage Development Company (MEEDCo) and the CEO of SAIPA’s Innovation Center on behalf of the two groups. The signing ceremony took place on September 27, 2023, at MAPNA’s headquarters.
According to the agreement, MAPNA Group will provide all kinds of cells and battery packs for SAIPA’s electric vehicles, using MEEDCo’s factory products.
EV to help reduce fuel consumption, emissions
In the meeting, which was attended by senior managers from both groups, Mohammad Ali Teimouri, the CEO of SAIPA, expressed his satisfaction with MAPNA’s partnership and said that hybrid and electric vehicles are among the most important infrastructures of countries in the world today.
He cited the success of some countries in developing electric vehicles and emphasized the need to control fuel consumption in the country.
He also mentioned some challenges and said that they have been trying to improve SAIPA’s infrastructure for the last 21 months.
Acknowledged that SAIPA’s equipment and machines are outdated and consume a lot of energy, he said that they plan to modernize the machines and reduce energy consumption.
Iran can also use MAPNA’s expertise to develop its infrastructure and reduce emissions in this decade, he added.
“Iran can follow the example of Japan and China in producing and launching electric and hybrid cars,” Teimouri said, adding that this would reduce gasoline consumption and emissions.
He warned that if this is not done, Iran might become one of the largest importers of gasoline in the world in three years.
He added that they started working with MAPNA Group last year on commercial and public vehicles.
Teimouri also said that there have been positive developments in the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade, which are changing the policy in auto production and moving towards electrification.
At the end of the meeting, the CEO of SAIPA expressed his hope for this joint cooperation and said that this decade should be the decade of comprehensive transportation infrastructure development.
MAPNA continues to grow in electrification
In the same meeting, the CEO of MAPNA Group highlighted the importance of developing electric vehicles for environmental reasons and explained MAPNA’s role in developing electric vehicle engines and infrastructures such as charging stations.
Mohammed Owliya hoped that the cooperation between MAPNA and SAIPA would be “fruitful” and mentioned MAPNA’s history of activities in various fields of energy.
He said that MAPNA entered the transportation field some 20 years ago and initiated the development of this field in the rail industry, electric bus, electric vehicle and charging and battery infrastructure, due to its impact on energy and economy.
Owliya said that MAPNA Group has been moving towards the electrification industry in recent years with the positive insight of former management and will continue to develop the field of car electrification and its infrastructure based on its strategies.
Pointing to MAPNA Group’s activity in producing clean energy, he said that it is necessary to promote the growth and production of clean energy in the automotive industry with multilateral cooperation with domestic and foreign companies.
He recalled that efforts have been made to develop the infrastructure and use new technologies to provide the basis for the production and growth of electric vehicles in the country.
“Considering the national view that has been formed regarding the electrification of passenger and commercial vehicles, MAPNA Group can use all its potential to realize this important goal,” he said.
He praised the new policies of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade in the field of electric vehicles and said that despite entering the field of electric transportation infrastructure, they have not had the expected acceleration in the commercialization of the products.
However, he said that this year, with the new approach of the Ministry and the cooperation of Tehran Municipality, as well as the cooperation of the country’s car manufacturers, they expect more acceleration in this field.
He hoped that the obstacles and limitations would be removed and they could launch mass production of electric vehicles.
He referred to the establishment of MAPNA Electrification and Energy Storage Development Company (MEEDCo) and said that since this company was established two years ago to produce batteries, they have not had a very high development speed due to some obstacles.
However, he maintained, that now they can increase the variety and development of new products according to market demand and put commercialization and mass production on their agenda.
At the end of this ceremony, an agreement on producing and supplying battery packs and cells for SAIPA’s electric vehicles was signed by Alireza Taklifi, the CEO of MEEDCo, and Syed Shahin Azabi, CEO of SAIPA’s Research and Innovation Center. The purpose of this document is to produce and supply cells and battery packs for SAIPA’s electric vehicles using MEEDCo’s factory products, as well as to conduct feasibility studies, design, development, testing, production, and supply of various types of cells and battery packs for SAIPA’s electric and hybrid vehicles.
