Forge Battery, the commercial lithium-ion battery production subsidiary of Forge Nano, Inc., recently 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 three-gigawatt hours per year (GWh/year).
The $100M Department of Energy funding would be combined with $140M from Forge Battery to increase the Morrisville, NC facility’s production to fulfill customer demands 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.
Forge Battery’s Made-in-America cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells will be produced with a US-dominant supply chain, with 90% of cell contents in 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 various application-specific requirements for current and future customers. Forge Battery expects its A-Sample cells to meet industry standard lifetimes suitable for its intended target customer markets, including electric trucks, off-highway vehicles, motorcycles, and aerospace and Department of Defense (DoD) applications.
With this expansion, Forge Battery expects to employ over 280 full-time employees, with over 550 temporary jobs created during construction and equipment installation. The company 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.
Filed Under: Batteries, Technology News