September 24, 2011

Saft America Advanced Batteries Plant Celebrates Grand Opening in Jacksonville

Saft America Advanced Batteries Plant Celebrates Grand Opening in Jacksonville | Department of Energy Skip to main content Recharge. Could you own an alternative fuel vehicle?Find fueling stations near you: Energy.gov Find information about your town or city. Search form Search Energy.gov Public Services Tax Credits, Rebates & Savings Homes Vehicles Building Design Manufacturing National Security & Safety Energy Economy Funding Opportunities State & Local Government Science & Innovation Science & Technology Science Education Innovation Energy Sources Energy Usage Energy Efficiency Mission News & Blog Maps & Data About Us For Staff & Contractors OfficesAll OfficesProgram Offices Staff Offices Labs & Technology Centers Operations Offices Power Marketing Administration Other Agencies You are hereHome Saft America Advanced Batteries Plant Celebrates Grand Opening in Jacksonville September 16, 2011 - 12:30pm Addthis

Department of Energy Investment Helps Support Job Creation, U.S. Economic Competitiveness and Advanced Vehicle Industry

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Secretary Steven Chu joined with Saft America to announce the grand opening of the company’s Jacksonville, Florida, factory, which will produce advanced lithium-ion batteries to power electric vehicles and other applications. Saft America estimates it will create nearly 280 permanent jobs at the factory, and the city of Jacksonville expects an additional 800 indirect jobs to be created within its community. The project has created or preserved an estimated 300 construction jobs.

Supported in part through Department of Energy investments, batteries produced at the new facility will go into cutting-edge electric drive vehicles for American families. They will also be used to power military hybrid vehicles and for other industrial, agricultural, and military applications. Saft expects to produce 370 megawatt hours of battery power a year – the equivalent of supplying more than 37,000 electric-drive vehicles.

“The Obama Administration’s investments in the U.S. advanced battery industry will help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil, create jobs for U.S. workers, and fuel American competitiveness in this global market," said Secretary Chu. "Powering the next generation of energy-saving electric cars and trucks with state-of-the-art batteries will help Americans save money at the pump and improve the nation's energy security."

Saft America Incorporated’s Industrial Battery Group won a $95.5 million DOE grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 and provided an additional $95.5 million in cost share to build the new 235,000 square foot battery factory capable of manufacturing high quantities of lithium-ion cells, modules, and batteries. The company celebrated the grand opening with a ceremony at the new plant in Jacksonville.

The Department will be represented at the grand opening event by Admiral Melvin G. Williams Jr., who serves as the Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy.

This project is part of the Recovery Act’s $2 billion investments in battery and electric drive component manufacturing, supporting 20 battery and 10 component manufacturing factories. At full scale, these investments will support factories with the capacity to supply more than 500,000 electric drive vehicles. These factories are helping build a domestic electric-drive vehicle industry – the U.S. produced less than 2 percent of the world’s batteries in 2008. By the end of 2012, it is estimated that the U.S. will have the capacity to produce 20 percent of the world’s advanced vehicle batteries.

These factories are also lowering costs. By 2013, these factories will help cut battery costs in half, making electric-drive vehicles much more affordable for Americans. Additional DOE investments in R&D will continue this type of innovation well beyond 2015, providing a long-term path for a competitive industry.

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