Battery Giant Opts For Michigan Plant
It has been said that “in every life a little rain must fall,” suggesting to some that rain is a bad thing. Then again when you see how rain replenishes the earth and sates the soul, it certainly can also be a very good thing.
Battered Michigan Receives Some Good News
A similar thing can be said about the auto industry, particularly as it relates to the state of Michigan. That state is the heart of the auto industry for America’s three major brands — General Motors, Ford and Chrysler — and has borne decades of layoffs, plant closures and an ongoing recession.
But, the rain falling for Michigan isn’t completely bad as evidenced by the announcement last week that lithium-ion battery supplier Johnson Controls-Saft will convert an existing plant in Holland, MI to supply batteries for the Ford Motor Company’s expanding hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle fleet.
Second Lithium-Ion Plant
The Michigan plant will be the first American facility by Johnson Controls-Saft dedicated to lithium-ion technology, following on the heels of plant opened in France in 2008 to build batteries for the Mercedes S-Class hybrid. The Michigan facility in expected to directly create 500 new jobs in that state in additional to many more through suppliers.
Johnson Controls-Saft is also supply batteries for the BMW 7 Series ActiveHybrid available in 2010, Azure Dynamic’s Balance™ Hybrid Electric for commercial vehicles available in 2010, and Ford’s first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle available in 2012.
The company will be investing $220 million to convert the Michigan plant and will receive tax credits from the state for locating production there. The plant is expected to have an initial capacity of 15 million lithium-ion cells when the plant comes online in late 2010.
For Michigan, the Johnson Controls-Saft plant is one of first steps it is taking to transform itself from the automotive capital of the world into the advanced-battery capital of the world.
Related Reading — 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid: 700 Mile City Range, Class Leading Fuel Economy
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