Global electric vehicle battery manufacturer Gotion High-Tech reached an important milestone in Dec. 2023 in its quest to develop clean energy solutions. The company celebrated the rollout of its first battery pack at its Fremont, California, factory, marking a huge breakthrough in its operations in the United States, as per PR Newswire.
According to the news release, "On the morning of [Dec. 21], the factory's first battery production line officially went into operation, launching Gotion's 'Made in USA' initiative. The Fremont factory is targeting the Americas' ESS market, mainly producing portable energy storage products and residential energy storage products with capacities ranging from 3 kWh to 30 kWh."
In 2014, Gotion established its research and development facility in Silicon Valley, widely known as a global hub for technological innovation.
Nine years later, the company made history as its first portable power pack, called the GenDome energy storage system, rolled off the assembly line at the Fremont factory, as Electrek reported. According to the news release, the facility has a planned production capacity of one GWh with an automation rate of roughly 85%.
The production of Gotion's first battery pack in the U.S. comes just ahead of the expected opening of its $2 billion EV battery gigafactory near Chicago, which is set to begin battery production this year, according to Electrek.
Gotion is also finalizing plans for a $2.36 billion battery component factory in Big Rapids, Michigan, as per Bridge Michigan, though there's been significant backlash from citizens.
Despite the setbacks, Li Zhen, Gotion's CEO, said in a press release announcing the Illinois factory that he believes the company's "battery technology will help to boost e-mobility in North America and the economic and trade exchanges between China and the U.S."
"For the past decade, we have consistently adhered to a three-in-one strategy featuring localized research & development, localized manufacturing, and localized marketing. From the initial development of battery management systems to the present battery factory, we have encountered numerous challenges and tests," Li Chen, Senior Vice President of Gotion, said in the PR Newswire release.
"Today, we have made a name for ourselves in the Americas market, and with the help of the Illinois battery factory and Michigan material factory, Gotion will work together with customers to build a localized and diversified supply chain system characterized by a full value chain," he added.
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