Boston-Power, Inc., recently announced that the company is working to build one of the world's most advanced battery manufacturing facilities in Auburn, Massachusetts. The 455,000 square foot Auburn facility will add 600 new jobs at Boston-Power and as many as 2,000 more indirectly through the extended supply chain.
Boston-Power in March established itself as the first U.S.-based firm ever to provide battery technology to a Tier One notebook PC vendor. The result of a three-year relationship with HP that involved extensive testing and audit processes, Boston-Power's Sonata battery cells serve as the foundation for a new 'green' battery HP has branded the Enviro Series of Notebook Batteries. This represents the first time HP has established a brand around battery technology. The Enviro Series is compatible with more than 70% of HP's consumer models.
"Our goal is to make Massachusetts a manufacturing hub for the advanced batteries that will power the nation's clean energy future, and Boston-Power's plan to create this facility in Auburn is a big step toward that goal," said Governor Deval Patrick.
State officials are working closely with Boston-Power to pursue state and federal financial incentives that will help the company to fulfill its plans of building the Auburn facility. The company is seeking approximately $100 million under the U.S. Department of Energy's advanced battery and cell manufacturing grant program established as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The company is also pursuing funds through a proposed program allocation in the FY10 federal budget under the Defense Production Act, which encourages the building of manufacturing facilities in the U.S. that are important for national security reasons. Currently, nearly all lithium-ion batteries in the world are manufactured in Asia. The Commonwealth will offer up to $9 million in matching financing to support the company’s planned manufacturing operation in Auburn.
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