Batteries May Be Included

Several weeks ago, I urged Congress to consider funding a domestic battery manufacturing program as part of its multibillion dollar auto industry bailout plan (see “Batteries Not Included”). Several lawmakers are urging their colleagues to include advanced battery manufacturing as part of the $800 billion economic recovery bill that’s expected to be signed into law next month by president-elect Obama.

Several lawmakers are urging their colleagues to include advanced battery manufacturing as part of the $800 billion economic recovery bill that’s expected to be signed into law next month by president-elect Obama.

To learn more, click Battery funds may be in mix

In addition to this news, A123 Systems Inc. (Watertown, MA) just announced that it plans to build several world-class lithium-ion battery manufacturing facilities in the United States. The first assembly plant will be located near Detroit.

The company has submitted an application under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program to qualify for more than $1.8 billion in loans to fund its ambitious mass-production effort.

“If A123’s application is approved, this program would enable [us] to dramatically expand production capacity in the United States,” says David Vieau, A123’s president and CEO. He claims that the plan, which could create more than 14,000 new jobs, would enable A123 to supply battery systems for 5 million hybrid vehicles or 500,000 plug-in electric vehicles per year by 2013.

“We’re entering an exciting new phase for the automotive industry where we increase the electrification of vehicles, reducing consumption of gasoline through advanced batteries,” Vieau points out. “This new facility would greatly accelerate this change and help ensure that the American economy replaces its dependence on foreign oil with reliance on advanced, homegrown batteries.”

Austin has been senior editor for ASSEMBLY Magazine since September 1999. He has more than 21 years of b-to-b publishing experience and has written about a wide variety of manufacturing and engineering topics. Austin is a graduate of the University of Michigan.

The ASSEMBLY Show South

ASSEMBLY is thrilled to return to the Music City Center in Nashville, TN for The ASSEMBLY Show SOUTH on May 1-2, 2024. This is a booming time for manufacturing and the U.S. South is right in the heart of the action. According to ASSEMBLY’s most recent annual capital spending survey, the South is projected to account for 31 percent of total spending this year, marking the fifth straight year this region has accounted for at least 30 percent of capital spending in the U.S.

In this session, manufacturers will learn how Quality function deployment (QFD) can transform consumers’ qualitative demands into quantitative parameters that will shape the design of their product and, ultimately, their manufacturing process.

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