A123 Systems Plans USA Battery Plants with USA Government Money
Jan 7, 2009 – A123Systems today announced it has submitted an application under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program to qualify for $1.84 billion in direct loans to support the construction of new lithium ion battery manufacturing facilities in the USA, with the first construction location in southeast Michigan.
If A123′s application is approved, this program would enable the company to dramatically expand production capacity in the United States, with full production volumes designed to supply battery systems for 5 million hybrid vehicles or 500,000 plug-in electric vehicles per year by 2013.
At full operation, A123 expects the combined plants would occupy as much as 7 million square feet and create over 14,000 jobs. These plants would produce battery cells and systems to meet the needs of A123′s broad automotive customer portfolio, which currently includes over 7 vehicle manufacturers and 19 vehicle models ranging from HEVs (hybrid electric vehicles) to EVs (electric vehicles).
A123 was born out of the research labs of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was funded initially with a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2001. Existing A123 customers include AES, BAE Systems, Black and Decker, Cessna, Chrysler LLC, General Motors, Project Better Place, and Th!nk.
