A123 Opens Largest Lithium Automotive Battery Plant Mich

[MitchJi]

Hi,

Probably means cheaper Prismatic Cells but probably not Increased DIY availability unless Dewalt starts producing packs for riding mowers :
http://ir.a123systems.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=506787

September 13, 2010

A123 Systems Opens the Largest Lithium Ion Automotive Battery Manufacturing Plant in North America

New Facility in Livonia, Mich. Significantly Expands A123's Production Capabilities to Meet Increasing Global Demand; Company Expects to Create Thousands of Jobs in Michigan

LIVONIA, Mich., Sept. 13, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A123 Systems (Nasdaq:AONE), a developer and manufacturer of advanced Nanophosphateâ„¢ lithium ion batteries and systems, today announced the grand opening of the largest lithium ion automotive battery production facility in North America, based on available data. The new plant in Livonia, Mich. is expected to expand A123's manufacturing capabilities by up to 600MW hours per year when fully operational, contributing to the company's plan to expand global final cell assembly capacity to more than 760MW hours annually by the end of 2011. The opening of the Livonia factory comes just over one year after A123 was awarded a $249 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help the company execute its strategy to ramp up U.S. manufacturing capabilities to meet increasing, market-driven demand for its innovative technologies.

"The opening of our Livonia facility is a significant milestone and confirms that we are accomplishing our stated objectives that accompanied the DOE grant. Bringing this factory on line in just over a year is a testament to our technology innovation and strategic plan to ramp up manufacturing, but it also speaks to the maturity of the market—without significant customer demand for our products today, a capacity expansion of this magnitude would not be possible," said David Vieau, president and CEO of A123 Systems. "We are grateful to the DOE, the state of Michigan and everyone else who helped make this vision a reality. Over the next several years, we expect to create thousands of jobs in greater Detroit and plan to continue our expansion in the area as we do our part in helping the U.S. emerge as a global leader in the production of advanced lithium ion batteries."

A123 will focus on manufacturing prismatic cells and systems at the new 291,000-square-foot Livonia facility. The factory is designed to enable the complete production process, including research and development, manufacturing of high-value components, cell fabrication, module fabrication and the final assembly of complete battery packs ready for vehicle integration. As part of its continuing U.S. manufacturing ramp up, A123 also plans to open a coating plant in Romulus, Mich., expected to come on line during the first half of 2011. In addition to the DOE grant, the company received $125 million in state incentives from Michigan as part of its 21st Century Jobs Fund to help finance these manufacturing facilities.

"When I signed Michigan's first-in-the-nation battery tax credits into law, it signaled my administration's intent to make our state the advanced battery capital of the world," said Michigan Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm. "This set the stage for the tremendous collaboration between A123, the Department of Energy, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and state officials that led to this state-of-the-art battery manufacturing facility in Livonia. We applaud A123 for selecting Michigan as the center of its U.S. manufacturing, creating new jobs and helping diversify our economy."

A123's advanced lithium ion batteries and systems are designed to help customers quickly and cost-effectively take game-changing solutions from conception to commercialization. A123 is the first major U.S.-based battery manufacturer to receive TS 16949 certification for its cylindrical lithium ion cells for automotive applications, validating that the company's product design and manufacturing processes meet the highest standards for excellence in the automotive industry. A123's growing list of customers includes BAE, Eaton, Fisker, Navistar, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and other global automakers and heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers. The company's innovative technologies are also being implemented in a wide variety of commercial products, and the company has also delivered more than 20MW of its Smart Grid Stabilization Systems (SGSS) to customers worldwide, making A123 the world's largest producer of lithium ion batteries for ancillary services for the power grid.

 

[veloman]

That's great, a source of batteries that is domestic (for the US). If you buy these, it negates the argument that buying EV batteries ships jobs oversees.

Now we just need some Lipo plants to open up here.

 

[neptronix]

I bet Michigan is happy about this.
Always nice to see a company actually making something here these days. seems like an exception rather than the rule.

 

[dogman dan]

Be great for the locals, that might work at the nearest recycling facility. I suppose they can't just fill an unlocked dumpster with the reject cells though. But maybe somehow, a few back channel sellers of the cells may appear.

 

[myzter]

A123 Systems Opens the Largest Lithium Ion Automotive Battery Manufacturing Plant in North America

http://ir.a123systems.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=506787

I read somewhere this means that A123 Systems will build approx. 1 million cells per month
should be a good thing right

 

[MitchJi]

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21455

 

[myzter]

oops

 

[myzter]

I read somewhere this means that A123 Systems will build approx. 1 million cells per month
should be a good thing right

 

[MitchJi]

Hi,

I read somewhere this means that A123 Systems will build approx. 1 million cells per month
should be a good thing right

A123 will focus on manufacturing prismatic cells and systems

The price of the prismatic cells should go down, which is good.

A123 will continue not to sell cells in small quantities or to the DIY market.

Hopefully the increased production and reduced prices of the prismatic cells will eventually mean that these cells are available somehow (wrecking yards etc.) at reasonable prices which would be very good.

 

[texaspyro]

Let's see... 600 MWh per year capacity. Between doctorbass and liveforphysics, what does that leave for the rest of us? Zilch...

 

[John in CR]

What we need is for A123 to go after the home battery storage market for solar. Solar is growing rapidly and the only way they can break into that market segment is with low prices. They got a big gov't grant, so fair price cells from them is mandatory as far as I'm concerned.

Do we have any members with an "in" with the White House, or an indirect in? If not then we should ban together and start sending emails. Maybe come up with a number of form letters that address both batteries and ebiking infrastructure as well as attitudes toward ebikers from police to motorists. Ebikes are a far better solution than ecars, and it's time for the powers that be get educated about this simple fact. Ecars are about twice as beneficial as gassers, but that's not enough. Ebikes are 5 to 10 times the beneficial impact of ecars, and that's without considering the lower use of resources or the health benefit. No, ebikes can't be a total car replacement without some significant sacrifice, but an ebike in every household can easily reduce car use by 50%, and they're so cheap compared to a car that the impact can be very rapid. Look at what ebikes did for China with more than 20 million new 2 wheel EVs put on the road each of the last 5 years.

 

[veloman]

Not to go off topic, but I can't agree more. A lot of people will say they can't afford an e-car, but surely they can offered an ebike to replace short trips AND the gym.

The gov't needs to start giving incentives for ebikers. Sure it's hard to prove you use an ebike, so they should build cycling infrastructure, bike racks, charging stations to SUPPORT the movement, as well as promote traditional cycling as transport.

I mean, if you think about, there's all these huge rebates for Prius drivers, yet there is little being done to truly support cycling as transportation. This needs to be changed. It is taking a strong group of cycling advocates in our cities to get any real infrastructure, without them, things would be quite a lot worse.

 

[John in CR]

If they want to throw some tax incentives then great. Batteries are the only real hold back, so a nice tax credit on US made lithium battery purchases like they did with solar panels is what we need. Then of course they need to be sure to allocate a % of that road infrastructure bill to cycling infrastructure...How about some ebike autobahns...slow bikes to the right, no stops, no bumps or holes, no speed limits, no intersections with cars...

 

[myzter]