Ljubljana, 12 April (STA) - The Emil Frey Group opened in Ljubljana on Friday a new competence centre for maintenance and repair of lithium-ion batteries for cars and commercial vehicles of various brands. It also renovated the repair shop for commercial Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Both investments cost around EUR 500,000.
The competence centre for batteries is managed by Autocommerce, one of the companies within the Swiss Emil Frey Group.
It features state-of-the-art equipment and infrastructure to test, repair and overhaul the batteries, Autocommerce CEO Rasto Oderlap told the press.
The centre consists of a workshop, a dedicated external battery warehouse and a dedicated workplace for the repair of electric trucks and buses, he added.
For safety reasons, the handling of batteries is carried out under strict conditions, including a maximum of one battery in the workshop at a time, advanced fire extinguishing and ventilation systems, containment basins to intercept any contaminated liquids, and separate storage of batteries in a special fire prevention room.
The investment was planned based on the fact that the number of electric vehicles is growing in Slovenia, including trucks, although a bit more slowly, said Oderlap.
The new centre is located within the newly-renovated Mercedes-Benz repair shop for commercial vehicles.
The latter covers an area of some 3,800 sq. metres and has up to ten workstations while also maintaining and repairing electric vehicles.
Part of it is a customer area, which is especially important for truck drivers.
Jožko Tomšič, the group's CEO for Slovenia, said that since truck drivers often need a bit different services, they will now also have an option of taking a shower.
The investment comes after the group has decided to move its shop and repair shop for Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles out of Ljubljana, to the municipality Log-Dragomer.
This investment, valued at around EUR 15 million, is to be completed in 2026. The group believes it should also be interesting to foreign hauliers as it will be built very close to the main motorway leading from the Slovenian port of Koper towards Eastern Europe.
The Emil Frey Group represents 12 car brands and three commercial vehicle brands in Slovenia, controlling nearly a quarter of the Slovenian car market and employing more than 500 people.
