Enevate plans US battery production facility with JR ES

California-based battery start-up Enevate, backed by manufacturer alliance Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi, has announced the construction of a US production facility for electrodes in cooperation with JR Energy Solution (JR ES), a South Korean manufacturer of battery electrodes and cells. (Update at the end of the article)

Enevate has revealed that both companies are evaluating various potential locations for their joint plant in the US. According to the current plan, the plant should reach an annual production capacity of 12 GWh in different construction phases, 6 GWh each for anodes and cathodes. A time schedule has not yet been disclosed.

The battery plant is going to produce electrodes, not complete battery cells. The plant should help Enevate to accelerate the market penetration of its battery fast-charging technology for existing and new customers. The plant will also produce what it says are various electrode solutions for other customers, including, but not limited to, graphite, silicon, LFP, NMC, NCMA and NCA for various battery cell form factors such as pouch or cylindrical cells. This should also enable customers to outsource parts of their electrode production to Enevate.

Enevate introduced the fourth generation of its XFC Energy Technology with silicon-dominated anode technology in 2020. This is said to enable a 5-minute charge to 75 per cent capacity at 800 Wh/l and 340 Wh/kg cell energy density. Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi has had stakes in the company since 2018.

Factory partner JR ES also has a role in production with a production licensing agreement for Enevate’s silicon-dominated anode technology XFC-Energy. JR ES plans to start production at its first plant in South Korea in the fourth quarter of 2023.

“This production license agreement with JR Energy Solution, Enevate’s third, is the next milestone in scaling the commercialisation of Enevate’s breakthrough technology and positions us at the forefront of battery technology offering extreme fast charge, high energy density and improved safety,” said Enevate CEO Bob Kruse. “The agreement shows the confidence and trust of our partners in our technology and further validates Enevate’s business model.”

“Combining Enevate’s revolutionizing technology with JR Energy Solution’s world-class manufacturing capabilities will accelerate our growth and expansion plans as we can now provide to our customers ultra-high performance electrode and battery technology that exceeds the constantly improving battery specification requirements,” said Duke Oh, CEO JR Energy Solution.

Update 21 February 2022

Enevate has announced that its licencee JR Energy Solution has commenced operations at South Korea’s first electrode foundry capable of producing electrodes using Enevate’s technology. The plant in Eumseong is initially designed for an annual production capacity of 500 MWh. In 2025, JR ES plans to increase its capacity to 2 GWh with an additional electrode plant.

businesswire.com (plant), businesswire.com (licence), businesswire.com (update)