Lithium-ion battery maker Boston-Power, Inc., today announced it plans to build its first U.S. manufacturing facilities in Auburn, Massachusetts. The facility is expected to create 600 new energy storage jobs.
The company also unveiled a battery built for Plug-in Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicles (PHEV/BEV)–called Swing.
The company currently manufactures batteries for electronics in China.
With support from Massachusetts officials, Boston-Power is seeking approximately $100 million under the U.S. Department of Energy’s advanced battery and cell manufacturing grant program established as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Massachusetts will offer up to $9 million in matching financing to support the manufacturing operation.
The company is also pursuing funds through a proposed program allocation in the FY10 federal budget under the Defense Production Act, which encourages the building of manufacturing facilities in the United States that are important for national security reasons.
“Our goal is to make Massachusetts a manufacturing hub for the advanced batteries that will power the nation’s clean energy future, and Boston-Power’s plan to create this facility in Auburn is a big step toward that goal,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “We look forward to working with the company and our colleagues in the Congressional delegation to make this happen.”
Boston-Power said it selected the Auburn site based on proximity to its headquarters. This affords synergies between the company’s R&D and manufacturing teams while minimizing shipping and related employee productivity and efficiency costs.
Boston-Power in March established itself as the first U.S.-based firm ever to provide battery technology to a Tier One notebook PC vendor. The result of a three-year relationship with HP (NYSE: HP) that involved the industry’s most extensive testing and audit processes, Boston-Power’s Sonata battery cells serve as the foundation for a new ‘green’ battery HP has branded the Enviro Series of Notebook Batteries.
To date, Boston Power has raised $125 million in venture funding from Foundation Asset Management, Oak Investment Partners, Venrock, GGV Capital and Gabriel Venture Partners.
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