- Forge Battery selected for award negotiation for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for commercial-scale domestic production of lithium-ion battery cells for specialized markets
- Company to increase capacity of North Carolina Gigafactory from 1 GWh/year to 3 GWh/year
- Forge Battery lithium-ion cells to be produced at commercial scale beginning in 2026 for U.S. customers using a domestic supply chain
Raleigh, N.C. and DENVER, Sept. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Forge Battery, the commercial lithium-ion battery production subsidiary of Forge Nano, Inc., today announced it was selected for award negotiations of up to $100M in non-dilutive funding by the Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) to expand its North Carolina lithium-ion battery gigafactory production capacity to 3 gigawatt hours per year (GWh/year).
Forge Battery’s Morrisville, North Carolina Lithium-Ion Battery Gigafactory
The $100M Department of Energy funding would be combined with $140M from Forge Battery to increase the Morrisville, NC facility’s production in order to fulfil mounting customer demand for domestically produced battery cells. Forge Battery expects to produce commercial lithium-ion cells at 1 GWh/year starting in 2026 and expand the facility to 3 GWh/year.
“Domestic production of best-in-class lithium-ion battery cells is critical for the United States to compete on a global scale in the energy transition,” said Paul Lichty, CEO of Forge Nano, the parent company of Forge Battery. “The Department of Energy’s support will help Forge Battery achieve our mission to be a leading domestic supplier of high-performance cells to U.S. markets and will further position us to supply critical U.S. clean energy innovations. We’re incredibly grateful to the Department of Energy for supporting us in our next chapter of growth.”
Forge Battery’s Made-in-America cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells will be produced with a U.S-dominant supply chain, with 90 percent of cell contents being sourced within the United States. Forge Battery began shipping prototype A-Sample cells in bulk in July 2024 to current customers, who account for multiple GWh/year in confirmed off-take.
The Forge Battery “Gen 1.1. Supercell,” the company’s first commercial product, has a confirmed specific energy of 300 Wh/kg and will be undergoing cycle life testing for a variety of application-specific requirements for current and future customers. Forge Battery expects its A-Sample cells will meet industry standard lifetimes suitable for its intended target customer markets, which include electric trucks, off-highway vehicles, motorcycles and aerospace and Department of Defense (DoD) applications.
With the expansion to 3 GWh/year, Forge Battery expects to employ over 280 full-time employees, with over 550 temporary jobs created during construction and equipment installation.
Forge Battery has also built a community advisory board comprised of North Carolina partners to recruit and train qualified workers and enhance the overall community of Morrisville. Partners include the City of Morrisville, Wake Technical Community College, NC Central University, Dorcas Ministries, Boys & Girls Club, Step Up Ministries, The Carying Place, Triangle Community Foundation, City of Oaks Foundation and Raleigh Dream Center.
“Forge Battery is committed to fostering a community of trust both within our facility and to the broader public,” said Curtis Zimmermann, Chief Legal Officer at Forge Nano. “We are excited to continue our work with the outstanding Forge Battery community partners to help nurture employees, create a sustainable talent pool of future employees and use our collective resources to become a staple in the community at large where our employees and their families reside.”
To learn more about Forge Battery’s Supercell, view the company’s previous press release announcing the beginning of customer shipments. For parties interested in sampling Forge Battery cells, please reach out via: https://www.forgebattery.com/contact.
About Forge Battery
Forge Battery, a subsidiary of Forge Nano, is building better batteries for the world’s most demanding applications. The company intends to be the leading domestic battery supplier for specialty applications by utilizing Forge Nano’s Atomic Armor™ surface coating technology to enhance durability and performance of lithium-ion battery cells. Learn more at https://www.forgebattery.com
About Forge Nano
Forge Nano is changing the way products perform. With our proprietary Atomic Armor™ technology, we enable product developers to engineer any material down to the individual atom. The superior surface coatings produced by our Atomic Armor™ process allow our partners to unlock peak performance of any material, optimizing products to last longer, cost less and increase safety. Our team of scientists have worked with an expansive portfolio of commercial partners to develop custom solutions to meet any need at any scale, from small-scale R&D and laboratory work to large-scale, high-volume production. Learn more at https://www.forgenano.com
About DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC)
MESC plays a critical and unique role in catalyzing investments in America’s energy future to support the re-shoring, skilling, and scaling of U.S. manufacturing across energy supply chains. MESC serves as the frontline of clean energy deployment and accelerates America’s transition to a resilient, equitable energy future through data-driven investments in manufacturing capacity and workforce development. Learn more at www.energy.gov/mesc or LinkedIn.
Contact
Will McKenna
Brand Communications Director for Forge Nano
wmckenna@forgenano.com
(720) 432-6669
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7604502f-7ec5-41ba-b1a0-f93f835703a2
