Inside a former auto parts factory in Buffalo, NY, Jon M. Williams is making plans to create a renewable energy trailblazer.
His start-up company, Viridi Parente Inc., makes lithium-ion batteries—brand-named Green Machine—for construction equipment, such as excavators, enabling the machines to run on electricity instead of diesel fuel. The brand is being lauded for its long cycle life, resilient physical design and completely self-contained architecture. The batteries have already logged more than 250,000 hours of field use with actual customers. By some estimates, the market for electric-powered construction equipment could reach $205 billion in North America by 2025.