Foxconn and PTT have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in setting up an open platform for producing electric vehicles (EV) and key components to serve the EV sector in Thailand. The platform, comprising hardware and software services, will be available to all automobile players in Thailand looking to accelerate their production and sales of EVs in Thailand and elsewhere in the ASEAN region.

PTT is a Thai state-owned oil and gas company and the largest publicly listed conglomerate in Thailand.

Automobile players in Thailand that wish to assemble electric vehicles will be able to access the entire value chain of services offered by a newly formed JV being set up as part of this project. The intent is to help manufacturers not only access EV-specific services but also launch new models more quickly at a competitive cost.

The new platform will entail an ecosystem combining technologies across the EV value chain, including auto parts manufacturing. It will build on Foxconn’s recently-established MIH industry alliance, an open network that enables developers and manufacturers to offer a complete software and hardware platform to build electric cars.

The MIH platform has four key characteristics:

Its architecture is fully modularized, scalable, and easily customizable;

The chassis is made with the latest lightweight material, with a unibody design that would optimize the EV’s performance;

It provides a powerful electrical architecture for all levels of applications; and

It will allow for the development of autonomous driving technologies.

Auttapol Rerkpiboon, President and Chief Executive Officer, PTT Public Company Limited (PTT), said that this joint agreement was a significant milestone for PTT’s EV value chain businesses to foster sustainable growth while addressing the changing era of future energy—especially transportation and mobility.