Lithium cell production in North America

Lock

100 MW
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I don't think that, aside from occasional prototyping, there is a single company in the USA producing lithium cells.

Soon:
http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2011/06/ready_to_edit_fortu_powercell.html
MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP — A little more than a year ago, fortu PowerCell Inc. CEO Alan Greenshields asked the community to be patient as his company put together an advanced battery manufacturing plant in Muskegon Township.

Fortu PowerCell officials say they have been working behind the scenes in Muskegon and Germany, making significant progress.

Officials from the Swiss-German company told community leaders this week that construction of the 168,000-square-foot first-phase manufacturing plant should begin this fall. The company will begin hiring of 125 employees in early 2012 and its “second-generation” lithium ion battery module production will begin next fall, officials said.

The plant will produce chemicals for the battery modules, and workers will assemble them here for a variety of uses including transportation, alternative energy and electric power grid storage applications, company officials said.


Soon:
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/01/30/construction-of-nissans-smyrna-battery-plant-on-schedule/
Construction of Nissan's Smyrna battery plant on schedule
by Eric Loveday (RSS feed) on Jan 30th 2011

How the plant looked a month ago:
bc051711lj-0128.jpg



Soon:
http://www.jsonline.com/business/124686933.html
Johnson Controls, universities plan energy storage research venture
June 28, 2011
On the hybrid business, Johnson Controls and its joint venture partner, Saft, are in the final stages of starting up a new lithium-ion battery factory in Holland, Mich., for hybrid vehicles.

Anybuddy else?
tks
l0cK
 
Actually, seen here:
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/25831/page1/
U.S. Backs Electric-Car Batteries. Will Drivers Follow?
If federally funded factories don't get enough demand, even more government spending could result.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010 By Kevin Bullis
SNIP
Construction began last week on the last of nine battery factories supported by grants under the Recovery Act, which was part of the stimulus package.
 
Thanks for posting this, Lock. Fingers crossed that this isn't vaporware.

North America needs to be involved in the electric revolution.
 
LG Chem has a massive USA factory. I don't think it's made a cell yet though if I heard correctly (either it wasn't finished or they ran into some issue or something).
 
liveforphysics said:
LG Chem has a massive USA factory. I don't think it's made a cell yet though if I heard correctly (either it wasn't finished or they ran into some issue or something).

SOON!:

Posted 22 daze ago:
http://www.applicantstack.com/client/lgcmi-careers/x/detail/a2h3t08ms9d2
Openings >> Technical Operator
Technical Operator
Summary
ID: 1001
Title: Technical Operator
Department: Production Team
Location: Holland, MI

Description
LG Chem Michigan Inc. has 100 open positions for Technical Operators to produce Li-ion batteries at our new plant in Holland, MI. Technical operators will work with automated equipment to complete various steps in the production process including: separator coating process, assembly of the battery cell, testing, quality control and packaging for shipment.

LG Chem Michigan Inc. (“LGCMI”) develops and manufactures large lithium ion polymer batteries for electric vehicle (EV) applications. LGCMI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of LG Chem, a S. Korean company that has global operations focused on petrochemical products, information/electronic materials, and advanced batteries. LG Chem is part of the LG Group. Come join the leader in advanced EV batteries! www.lgchem.com

Salary: Starting pay from $12.50 to $14.00 depending on experience

LG Chem division name is actually Compact Power:
http://www.compactpower.com/index.shtml
 
Forgot about Ener1 aka EnerDel... seen here:
http://www.ener1.com/?q=content/enerdel-industry
Energy Solutions

As the only US-based manufacturer today of commercial-scale, automotive-grade, lithium-ion systems, we at EnerDel have set a goal to power cars that are less dependent on and in many cases will require no gasoline, and can be charged in as little as 15-20 minutes per day (subject to the availability of fast-charging stations). We are creating energy solutions that are setting new standards of performance for lithium-ion battery technology.

Our ability to jump-start the electric drive industry is only the beginning. From the cell to system level, our advanced cell chemistries and pack designs enable us to customize applications for energy grid infrastructure, military, aerospace, and beyond.

The First Cell-to-System Domestic Manufacturer

We believe we have a two-year head start over our domestic competitors when it comes to cell manufacturing. Most lithium-ion battery manufacturing in the US is limited to the assembly of bulky battery packs. These manufacturers import their batteries from Asia, bundle hundreds of them together into big, suitcase-like boxes, and then provide the software and electronics to integrate their packs into the vehicle. EnerDel offers a better solution, with cell-to-system manufacturing capability right here in the US.

Manufacturing Process

We recently fired up our first high-volume coating machine at our 92,000-square-foot Indianapolis plant. Here, the cell manufacturing process begins in the mixing room, with the combining of various active materials, such as manganese or mixed oxides for cathodes, with solvents and binders, as well as some proprietary chemicals into separate slurries for anode and cathode.

The resulting black paste is coated onto thin aluminum and copper foils, which will become the positive and negative electrodes. The films then go through a long, tunnel-like drying machine, where they bake at elevated temperatures to fasten the materials to the foils.

Automated machines precision-cut the electrodes into sheets about the size of letterhead stationery, but half as thick. From there, the electrodes go to the drying room, an ultra-clean environment where dehumidifiers keep the humidity at a very low level.

Automated stacking machines handle the next step, in which they pick up an anode, cathode and separator and stack them in a series until there are a specified number of sets of anodes and cathodes. A separate machine inserts them into a metallic, silvery pouch that will be hermetically sealed on all edges. Yet another machine fills the cell with an electrolyte, which provides conductivity between the positive and negative sides of the battery, and then hermetically seals the final side of the cell.

The assembled cells, about one-fourth of an inch thick, then leave the dry room and are charged for the first time in what is known as the formation process. The cells are then stored for a specific period of time in the aging room, after which they are all given a final 100% quality check to ensure that each individual cell meets the specification.

Once the cells are complete, our factory ships them 10 minutes away to our 35,000-square-foot pack assembly facility, where the cells are built into the packs in a highly automated process. Automated machines stack the cells into modules, and the modules are then assembled into subpacks.

These subpacks go into a final casing, which, depending on the energy requirement for the battery pack, could have anywhere from 200 to 400 cells in it and weigh up to 600 pounds. As part of the process, engineers install the critical electronic hardware and software that will allow the battery to communicate with the vehicle and monitor the performance of each individual cell and the overall pack.

So, all car-related crap, but this press release seems promising:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ener1-powers-record-breaking-superbike-128307853.html
Ener1 Powers Record-Breaking SuperBike

Lightning Motorcycles Sets Top Land-Speed for an Electric Motorcycle

NEW YORK, Aug. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Powered by Ener1 (NASDAQ: HEV), a leader in lithium-ion energy storage solutions, Lightning Motorcycles shattered the land-speed record for an electric motorcycle (class APS-Omega) last week at 215.90 mph. Lightning's SuperBike set the record during the 63rd annual Bonneville SpeedWeek on the Bonneville Salt Flats outside Wendover, Utah. Ener1 supplies the PHEV lithium-ion battery that powers Lightning's SuperBike.

CLW018LOGO


"It's extremely rewarding to be working with such an innovative customer like Lightning Motorcycles, which has set multiple land-speed records over the last year," stated Chris Cowger, president of Ener1. "Lightning recently switched to using Ener1's automotive-grade, lithium-ion PHEV cells in their motorcycles, and we're glad to be part of the team that helped them achieve the world land-speed record. We're also excited that the technology and innovation Lightning uses for its record-holding SuperBike will also be available when the company's electric commuter motorcycle and scooter hit the market next year."

In addition to using Ener1's PHEV cells in its SuperBike, Lightning Motorcycles also recently signed a supply and distribution agreement with Ener1. The company will use its extensive experience in designing and engineering electric motorcycles to sell more PHEV and EV cells and energy storage solutions into the growing e-bike market.

"Ener1's PHEV cells performed flawlessly at Bonneville, and we're extremely pleased with our decision to switch to their energy storage solutions," stated Lightning Motorcycles Founder and CEO Richard Hatfield. "Our goal is to push electric-motorcycle technology to parity with gas-powered motorcycles, and we believe Ener1 will be a terrific partner in helping us realize that goal for both our racing and commercial bikes."

Lightning Motorcycles had previously set the FIM and AMA official world record of 173.388 mph during the world final in October 2010. During last week's Bonneville SpeedWeek, Lightning set a new land-speed record of 206.079 mph early in the week and then topped it again by setting the current land-speed record of 215.90 mph.

About Ener1, Inc.

Ener1, Inc. is a publicly traded (NASDAQ: HEV) energy storage technology company that develops compact, lithium-ion-powered battery solutions for the transportation, utility grid and industrial electronics markets. Headquartered in New York City, the company has nearly 700 employees with manufacturing locations in the United States and Korea. Ener1 also develops commercial fuel cell products and nanotechnology-based materials. For more information, visit Ener1's web site at www.ener1.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements made in this press release constitute forward-looking statements that are based on management's expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "scheduled," "estimates" and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual future results and trends may differ materially from what is forecast in forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and the company does not undertake any obligation to update or publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or changes in expectations after the date of this press release.

MEDIA & INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT
Brian Sinderson
212-920-3500 X117
brian.sinderson@ener1.com


SOURCE Ener1, Inc.
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http://www.ener1.com
 
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/39578/
Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Tough Times for U.S. EV Battery Makers

Companies need more consumer demand for electric vehicles to grow rapidly.

By Kevin Bullis

The U.S. government's effort to create an electric-vehicle battery industry suffered a setback last week when one of the companies it funded as part of this effort saw its parent company file for bankruptcy protection. Battery maker Enerdel had been awarded a $118.5 million grant to build a lithium-ion battery factory in Indiana as part of a $2 billion grant program for electric-vehicle component and battery manufacturing; its parent company is Ener1.

Ener1 hopes to emerge from bankruptcy, and says Enerdel will continue operations during bankruptcy proceedings. Yet its difficulties point to the challenges of creating a new industry: at least for now, there are too many companies chasing too few contracts for making electric- and hybrid-vehicle batteries.

Demand is expected to grow over the next few years as government regulations and incentives push automakers to roll out more battery-powered cars, and as technical and manufacturing advances make batteries cheaper. But for now, U.S. battery makers are competing in a tight market. Those that win key contracts—or that have large amounts of funding—will likely survive the next few years, while others could collapse.

Ener1's troubles are the result of a heavy reliance on a single major customer, the electric-car company Think. Last summer, Think itself failed after poor sales of its expensive two-seater car, in the face of stiff competition from GM's Volt and Nissan's Leaf, which are both cheaper and more practical vehicles.

According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Ener1 had been counting on the market for electric cars to grow quickly, creating enough demand to sell its batteries alongside ones from Asia. "The demand for EVs, however, did not develop as quickly as anticipated," the company's filing says.

Dan Galves, an analyst at Deutsche Bank, says battery makers simply need to bide their time while the electric-vehicle market grows. "We are convinced that factories that can be built will be utilized over the long term," he says. "It's a question of timing, and how long battery companies can wait."

Nine companies received grants to build advanced-battery factories from the U.S. government as part of the 2009 Recovery Act. A 10th factory, proposed by a joint venture between Nissan and NEC, is being built with the help of a $1.4 billion federal loan guarantee.

Galves says most of the companies that received funding can afford to wait a few years for the market for lithium-ion car batteries to grow. The exceptions, he says, are Ener1 and A123 Systems. Ener1 is getting help from one of its largest investors, wood pulp mogul Boris Zingarevich, who also bought the automaker Think after it failed last year, and who plans for the company to restart electric-vehicle production.

A123 Systems, a relatively small, young company that got its start making batteries for power tools, faced a setback late last year when one of its major customers, the startup Fisker Automotive, decreased its orders, forcing A123 Systems to lay off workers. The company has other customers that could eventually take up the slack, but in the meantime, it is limiting the growth of its production capacity.

Like Ener1, some of the other companies that received government help don't have major customers lined up. However, "they have very deep pockets," Galves says. "If demand for batteries is not where it needs to be—if it comes two to three years later—that's not a problem for them."

Deutsche Bank predicts that, as a result of federal funding, battery production capacity worldwide will exceed demand until at least 2015. The prediction is significantly better than the forecast made in 2009, when it said capacity would be almost double demand in 2015. Since that earlier prediction, companies have decided to build smaller or fewer factories. The bank lowered its forecasts for electric-vehicle sales after weaker-than-expected sales of the GM Volt last year. It still expects the market to grow, however. "Every automaker has electric-vehicle plans. By the end of the decade, regulations essentially require them," Galves says.

These predictions depend upon several assumptions about the growth of the electric-car market and the cost of battery manufacturing. Galves says that lithium-ion batteries for electric cars cost about $600 a kilowatt-hour, compared to $250 a kilowatt-hour for laptop batteries. "There's no reason automotive batteries can't get that low," he says, but if these targets aren't met, demand may not grow as quickly, and the overcapacity could last longer than expected.

Based on sales of about 20,000 to 30,000 for cars such as the GM Volt (compared to less than 10,000 last year), U.S. battery manufacturing capacity could exceed demand by five times or more by the time all of the Recovery Act money is spent, says Menahem Anderman, president of Advanced Automotive Batteries. That's in part because much of the demand for automotive batteries will be met by Asian manufacturers, as it is today.

But a recent trend might help companies with factories in the U.S. compete with their Asian counterparts: automakers are seeking to reduce freight costs by using components made close to where cars are built, something that is particularly important with heavy lithium-ion electric-vehicle batteries.

Copyright Technology Review 2012.
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