InoBat signs battery deal with bus producer SOR

European electric vehicle battery developer and producer InoBat Auto announced what it called a landmark agreement with SOR, a Czech Republic-based producer of city and intercity-buses for Central Europe. Through the agreement, InoBat will design, develop and supply batteries for a new urban, intercity and long-distance electric bus fleet. No financial terms were provided.

InoBat will produce battery systems for SOR, a Czech manufacturer of buses and coaches.

The framework agreement with SOR represents the first foray into the commercial vehicle market for InoBat, which develops customized batteries at its facility in Slovakia which can be tailored to any electric vehicle using a High-Throughput Processing (HTP) platform developed by Wildcat Discovery Technologies, InoBat’s technological partner. This patented technology allows InoBat to identify the optimum cell chemistries for any electric vehicle and quickly and effectively meet the exact requirements of any vehicle or automaker, InoBat said.

“We are delighted to announce our first partnership agreement with SOR,” said Marian Bocek, co-founder and CEO of InoBat. “The partnership, which brings together Slovakia and the Czech Republic for the greater global aim of the electrification of transport, is an important milestone for InoBat and Europe’s commercial vehicle market. We look forward to working closely with SOR to establish a long-term partnership from development to delivery, to create a fully integrated battery research, development and production line, customized to our partner’s requirements.”

The agreement comes as SOR plans to contribute to the shift to electric mobility throughout Europe. InoBat is expected to provide research, development and the production of battery modules, packs and battery management systems built on NMC cells. SOR is located close to InoBat’s R&D center and pilot line in Slovakia, where the first batteries will be produced and supplied later this year.

With a production legacy spanning 25 years, SOR has been manufacturing city and intercity buses in the Czech Republic for its market in the Czech Republic and 12 other European countries.

“In the Czech Republic, we have been pioneering electric-driven solutions for our buses for many years before the topic came to recent prominence,” said Vitezslav Tymr, member of the board of directors of SOR. “We are glad that in InoBat we found a partner, which is regionally close, yet has the prerequisites to elevate the co-operation to such a level that would have a relevance within the European context.”