German testing firm to expand battery facilities

German testing and certification company TuV Rheinland plans to invest 100 million yuan ($15.2 million) in the coming two years to expand its facilities to test large batteries in China in response to the phenomenal growth in the electric vehicle battery industry.

The investment would be made in Shenzhen or Shanghai, where a large battery lab and a small battery lab of the company are located, said Sven-Olaf Steinke, general manager of the company's electrical service in China.

Electric vehicle battery production in the country, which accounted for about 24 percent of global production in 2016, is expected to increase by 56 percent year-on-year to 32 gigawatt-hours this year, he said.