A123 Systems Opens Lithium Ion Auto Battery Plant
Nanophosphate lithium ion battery and systems developer and manufacturer A123 Systems has announced the opening of what it claims to be North America’s largest lithium ion automotive battery production facility. The grand opening of the plant in Livonia, Michigan was held on September 13, and A123 Systems says that when the facility is fully operational it will expand the company’s manufacturing capabilities by up to 600MW hours per year. The Livonia factory’s opening comes just over one year after A123 Systems was awarded a US$249 million grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help the company execute its strategy to ramp up US manufacturing capabilities to meet increasing, market-driven demand for innovative technologies.