Lithium-ion battery maker EnPower announced that is opening a customer qualification facility in Indianapolis.
The facility will eventually produce up to 800-MWh of advanced Li-ion batteries annually for a variety of markets by the end of 2023, the company said. The facility is equipped with a pouch cell manufacturing line purchased from EnerDel.
According to EnPower, the purchase reduces overall capex requirements and accelerates EnPower’s time-to-market by 24 months.
Today, more than 80 percent of all Li-ion batteries are made in Asia, the company said. As the electric vehicle market continues to grow, securing domestic supply of advanced Li-ion cells is critical not just in automotive, but in many smaller markets as well.
“We are committed to being part of the solution for the U.S. battery supply chain. This is the first step towards volume production to serve U.S. markets and others seeking advanced Li-ion technology,” said Annette Finsterbusch, EnPower’s president and CEO.
The 92,000-square-foot facility consists of 20,000 square feet of dry room space and is equipped with two coating lines, capable of producing more than two million square meters of electrodes annually, and four pouch cell assembly lines. In addition to the production equipment, the purchase also includes a full suite of analytical and reliability testing equipment and cycling channels. EnPower plans to invest in more equipment upgrades and automation this year to modernize the facility, and said it will add additional assembly lines to expand the capacity and range of cell form factors.
“A customer qualification facility is critical to scale production, optimize cell geometries, complete comprehensive cell testing, and secure sales agreements,” said Earl Wiggins, vice president of operations and manufacturing.
The first qualification samples containing EnPower’s multilayer anodes will be produced in the first half of 2022.
EnPower will continue to operate its R&D facility in Phoenix, Ariz., where it develops next-generation Li-ion technologies.